TRAI flags mixed 2025-26 trends: DTH shrinks, telecom base expands
India’s media sector saw mixed trends in 2025-26, with 917 private satellite TV channels permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as of March 31, 2026, including 342 pay channels. The pay DTH subscriber base, however, declined to 49.05 million from 56.92 million a year earlier, as per TRAI data released yesterday.
The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) has asked 90 private satellite and cable television channels to complete their pending fresh empanelment formalities by October 21, 2026, warning that failure to submit the required documents could lead to de-empanelment.
Regional-language cricket consumption is emerging as a significant growth driver for the sports ecosystem, with JioStar reporting strong audience engagement across Kannada, Telugu and Tamil feeds during TATA IPL 2026.
JioStar has announced travel app Skyscanner as the title sponsor of its ‘Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan’ fan engagement contest for the upcoming five-match T20I series between India and West Indies.
Paramount Skydance Corporation Chairman and CEO David Ellison and Co-CEO Ynon Kreiz yesterday announced their CEO Leadership Team (CLT) expected to lead the combined company to be named Skydance, following the anticipated close of acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. today (Oct. 6).
Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Platforms plans to launch its initial public offering on October 21, seeking to raise about $3.8 billion in what is set to be India’s biggest listing, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Vedanta Group Chairman and billionaire Anil Agarwal opened up about his journey from being a scrap dealer in Patna to becoming one of the world’s billionaires during an interaction with journalist Rajat Sharma on the popular television show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’.
‘Digger’, the last film to be released from Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. before its acquisition by Paramount Skydance Corp closes on October 6, was a major disappointment at the box office, taking in just $8 million on its opening weekend.
The third edition of the Moneycontrol Startup Conclave brought together leading Indian founders, investors, policymakers and technology leaders in Bengaluru to discuss the changing landscape of the country’s startup ecosystem.
India Today Originals has been declared the National Winner in the ‘Best Documentary History’ category at the Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA) 2026 for Episode 2 of its five-part documentary series India Today@50.
Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV will broadcast the Indian men’s football team’s international friendly against two-time FIFA World Cup champions Uruguay on Tuesday.
Gracenote, Nielsen’s content intelligence business, is seeking to reshape connected TV (CTV) advertising by using content-based metadata to offer advertisers a privacy-safe alternative to traditional identity-based targeting.
Subhajit Sengupta has returned to Times Network as Vice President and Head of Social Media and Video Monetisation, taking charge of the network’s social media and video revenue operations from its Noida office. Sengupta announced his return in September 2026, describing the move as a homecoming with a wider mandate.
BULLET Microdrama, the platform backed by ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (Z), is expanding its content slate with more than 100 AI-powered microdramas, bringing together multiple production partners and its Trinetra AI filmmaking platform. The first title from the new slate, ‘Do Deewane aur Ashiqui’, has already gone live after being produced in 10 days.
Airtel Business yesterday launched Airtel IQ Gateway, a new telco-grade network intelligence platform designed to bring multiple customer communication channels onto a single, secure control plane for enterprises.