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Sundance Channel launches in Thailand, China
MUMBAI: Sundance Channel will be seen for the first time in Thailand on TrueVisions, the country’s largest pay-TV operator and the second largest DTH platform in Southeast Asia.
AMC/Sundance Channel Global has announced new distribution deals for Sundance Channel in Asia and expanded on demand offerings in Europe.
Sundance On-Demand will also debut in China for the first time on BesTV, Shanghai Media Group’s booming IPTV platform business. In Europe, Sundance Channel will expand its on-demand offerings with a VOD launch on Belgacom, Belgium’s leading telecommunications company. It has also partnered with French cable operator Numericable to offer VoD rights for ‘Mad Men‘ to authenticated subscribers as a complement to Sundance Channel’s pre-existing linear service.
This news follows the distribution growth for Sundance Channel across Europe and Asia over the past few months. This includes new network launches in Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Poland, Portugal and Hungary, along with the recent TV Everywhere launch in Spain on iPhone and iPad devices.
Sundance Channel was established by Robert Redford and offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of independent films, documentaries and original programmes.
AMC/Sundance Channel Global president Bruce Tuchman commented, “AMC/Sundance Channel Global continues to see great momentum in building a truly global network of channels catering to audiences and markets all over the world. Our first-ever launches in Thailand and China will extend the Sundance brand across these high growth Asian markets. We’ll continue to pursue expansion across linear and on-demand platforms, including TV Everywhere initiatives, to offer audiences wider access to our iconic content on an authenticated basis to reinforce the high value of the pay-TV ecosystem.”
Sundance VOD will launch for the first time in China on BesTV, Shanghai Media Group’s IPTV platform. The BesTV offering will present a robust and eclectic mix of films representing the best in independent cinema. Shanghai Media Group will also make select Sundance VOD offerings available on its TV Everywhere service via mobile and tablet devices to authenticated subscribers following the VOD launch.
Expanding and enriching the 24/7 linear channel on Belgacom in Belgium, Sundance Channel will launch an on demand offering which includes both films and series. In France, the channel has partnered with Numericable to offer exclusive VOD rights for Mad Men to authenticated subscribers in addition to Sundance Channel’s pre-existing linear service.
Sundance Channel also continues to provide on demand offerings on Numericable which complement programming themes and stunts on the linear feed.
Sundance Channel is available to pay-TV operators worldwide as a standard and high definition linear television channel, VOD service and via online authenticated streaming. Additionally, select VOD program offerings are available during theatrical windows so audiences can watch films in the comfort of their own home while movies are still in theatres.
In addition to Sundance Channel, AMC/Sundance Channel Global offers We tv in Asia, a women’s lifestyle network that features wedding and celebrity driven reality programming such as Braxton Family Values, Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best, My Fair Wedding With David Tutera, Shannen Says and Tori and Dean.
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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.
