Applications
Network18, Sun form distribution JV
MUMBAI: In a significant development that is set to deeply impact the industry, Network18 Group and Sun Network have formed a distribution joint venture company.
The new entity, to be called Sun18, will start with the distribution of 33 channels across all platforms including cable, DTH, IPTV, HITS and MMDS.
The alliance marks the entry of Network18 Group into the Indian television distribution space. It also ends Viacom18‘s deal with TheOneAlliance, the Sony-Discovery joint venture which distributes channels.
Interestingly, the Network18 group channels (CNN-IBN, CNBC-TV18, CNBC-Awaaz, IBN-7 and IBN-Lokmat) will move from the Star Den JV to Sun18. Only the Star channels, Times Now and Zoom will remain with Star Den.
Sun18 also gets to distribute the Viacom18 channels – Colors, MTV, Nick and Vh1. The new JV will also handle the Disney channels – The Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV.
Sun18 will have India‘s largest multilingual network comprising Sun TV, KTV, Sun News, Sun Music, Chutti TV, Adithya, Gemini TV, Teja TV, Gemini News, Gemini Music, Navvulu TV, Kushi TV, Surya TV, Kiran TV, Udaya TV, Udaya Movies, U2, Udaya Varthegalu, Ushe TV and Chintu TV.
“With these 33 channels, the Sun18 bouquet is already the highest GRP delivering bouquet in the Indian television space. The option to aggregate third party channels is also one of the opportunities this venture will seek to explore,” an official statement said.
As part of the strategic alliance, two new companies are being formed – Sun18 Media Services North Co. and Sun18 Media Services South Co.
 |
| Left to Right- Tony D’ Silva, Ajay Vidyasagar, Kalanithi Maran, Raghav Bahl, Haresh Chawla, Rajesh Kamat |
While Sun18 South will manage the South India market (non Hindi-speaking-markets) and will be operated by the Sun Network, Sun18 North will manage the rest of India markets and will be operated by the Network18 Group.
Sun18 North will be headed by Haresh Chawla (Group CEO – Network18 and Viacom18) as its CEO & director. Rajesh Kamat (Viacom18 Group COO & CEO Colors), will be the COO of Sun18 North. Sun18 South will be headed by Tony D‘Silva as its CEO.
Said Network18 Group founder Raghav Bahl, “This partnership extends Network18‘s presence into yet another critical component of the Indian television & entertainment space. In Sun Group, we‘ve found a partner that not only complements our own strengths, but is also as ambitious to change the landscape of the Indian broadcasting industry.”
He further added, “Distribution is one of the high-growth areas in this industry and we‘re excited to now have a presence in this part of the business as well.”
Sun Network CMD Kalanithi Maran said, “Sun18 is a very important initiative for us in the distribution platform business and is being created with the vision of better leveraging our very successful television brands across the country. The content assets and resources of Sun TV Network and Network 18, will enable us to continue to thrive in an ever-changing media landscape. Consumers of all of our products – on screens large and small – will have the benefit of enhanced content and experiences, delivered to them in new and better ways as a result of this initiative. It also signals our deep commitment to drive greater growth from subscription revenues.”
Commenting on Sun18, Chawla said, “This unique alliance will bridge one of the widest gaps that has existed in the Indian television space for long – the gap between the South and the rest-of-India markets.”
Applications
Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
