Applications
TDSAT directs Media Pro to restore signals to Lucknow MSO
NEW DELHI: In an order that may help multi-system operators whose applications for DAS licence are pending with the government, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed Media Pro Enterprises to restore television signals to Lucknow-9 Cable Network of Lucknow as an interim measure.
The Lucknow-based operator had said that its application for licence under Digital Access System (DAS) has been pending before the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for several months.
Chairperson Justice Aftab Alam and member Kuldeep Singh also directed the Lucknow network to file an affidavit to the effect that its application filed in the Ministry for grant of license under Rule 11 C of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 was not defective but was complete and in order, in all respects. It would also file a copy of the application in a sealed cover.
Meanwhile, the Lucknow-based operator would pay to content aggregator Media Pro all dues following a reconciliation of accounts and further to file an undertaking before this Tribunal that it would transmit or retransmit programmes of any channels following the provisions of section 4 A of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. This undertaking has already been filed.
Media Pro counsel Tejveer Singh Bhatia had told the Tribunal that his client could not supply the signals as it was prohibited from doing so under clause 3(2) of the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection (Digital Addressable Television Systems) Regulations, 2012 ‘for the simple reason that the Petitioner did not have a license under Regulation 11 C of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.’
But Counsel for the operator Vikram Singh said as there was inordinate delay in the grant of license, the operator had approached the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court which had disposed off the Petition by order dated 2 June 2013 directing the concerned authority to rid the application for license within 15 days from the date of receipt of the certified copy of that order. Counsel also stated that the date stipulated in the High Court’s order has expired on 2 July 2013 but it has so far not received any communication in regard to its application for the license.
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.
