India’s television broadcasters wrapped up the September quarter of FY26 with a mixed performance, marked by steady growth for some, widening losses for the rest, and significant divergence between national and regional networks. While festival-driven advertising provided a boost to certain broadcasting companies, muted demand from sectors such as FMCG and automobiles were affected. With no major national news triggers in the quarter, short-term ad activity remained low, resulting in moderate inventory usage. e4m stated that, NDTV’s operating revenue rose 9.83 per cent to Rs. 122.27 crore in Q2 FY26, up from Rs. 111.32 crore a year ago, supported by the early festive advertising push and steady interest in premium content. During the quarter, the broadcaster completed a Rights Issue and merged four of its entities to streamline operations. While the restructuring aims to enhance focus on core business, it impacted profitability in the period.  

The Rajkot Detection of Crime Branch has filed an FIR against journalist Jagdish Mehta for allegedly misusing a newspaper’s trademark and logo. The complaint, filed by Saurashtra Headline, a Rajkot-based eveninger, alleged that Mehta, along with Girish Solanki, misused the paper’s trademark and logo and attempted to extort money through threats. According to the FIR filed by Saurashtra Headline owner Pushparajsinh Ghanshyamsinh Rana, he accused the Managing Director of Headline News and auditor, Jagdish Mehta, of publishing news under the Saurashtra Headline name without authorisation. Rana said he had lawfully secured the paper’s rights, logo, and trademark for Rs 30 lakh in 2024, with the trademark officially registered on November 3, 2025. The complaint further alleges that the accused continued using the logo despite warnings, and later demanded Rs 40 lakh to stop, DeshGujarat reported.

Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, released a video on Tuesday in which she confronted Bihar-based journalist Kanhaiya Bhelari for remarks she said were sexist and targeted her for donating a kidney to her father. In the video, she calls Bhelari and asks him to explain why he questioned a married daughter’s right to visit her parents or make personal sacrifices for them. Her voice is low and strained, but she firmly asks him to repeat what he said on television. When Bhelari replies that daughters should stay at their husband’s home and not spend long periods with their parents, she interrupts and asks him to clarify his statement. She repeatedly asks, “How many hours? How many days?” as he attempts to deflect. Bhelari later backtracks, says he was referring to someone else, and insists he is not opposed to her actions, India Today reported.

PunjabNewsExpress.com editor Satinderjit Singh Bains has accused the Punjab Government of acting with “political malice” after the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) abruptly cancelled the news portal’s empanelment for government advertisements. Bains told Influencing that PunjabNewsExpress had been empanelled for government ads for the past eight years. On October 22, the portal received a one-year extension after policy-based scrutiny and verification. However, on November 19, the DIPR issued a short cancellation order stating “non fulfilment of policy conditions”, without detailing any deficiencies or giving the portal an opportunity to clarify. In his letter to IPR Minister Harjot Singh Bains and senior officials, the editor wrote that the decision was taken “without any reason, justification or prior intimation” and “constitutes a direct attack on press freedom.” He said the cancellation contradicted the extension granted just weeks earlier

  The Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2025 were announced on November 19, recognising 63 journalists across print, digital, and television. Presented by Population First in their 15th edition, the awards highlighted stories that demonstrated nuance, sensitivity, and accountability in reporting on gender issues across India. In the English print series category, journalists from The Hindu were recognised for the report “Doctor rape and murder: Violence and vigil in Kolkata,” authored by Shiv Sahay Singh, Shrabana Chatterjee, and Moyurie Som from the newspaper’s Kolkata bureau. Reporters from The News Minute and Newslaundry were honoured for work on sexual assault, portrayals of violence on screen, and transgender welfare boards. TNM journalists Shivani Kava, Anisha Sheth, and Nandini Chandrashekar won the English Web Investigative Story category for the five-part series “Prajwal Revanna Tapes: The Aftermath,” which documented survivor accounts,

Image source: Wikimedia Commons, TOI and HT; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Nitish Kumar walks back into the Bihar chief minister’s office today for a record 10th time — a political milestone unmatched in India, and a reminder that no one plays Bihar’s coalition chessboard quite like him. What should have been just another oath-taking has turned into a statement of survival: a 75-year-old leader, repeatedly written off, returns backed by a resurgent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and a mandate that has redrawn the state’s political arithmetic. As Gandhi Maidan prepares for the swearing-in, the bigger story is the recalibration of power within the NDA and what Nitish 10.0 means for governance, stability, and the familiar tug-of-war over portfolios. HOT OFF THE PRESS The Times of India’s Kumar Rakesh and Jai Narain Pandey report that Nitish Kumar will be sworn in at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan — a symbolic return to the venue where hi

India’s DTH television sector continued to face challenges in Q2 FY26, with key operators’ financial results reflecting a drop in active subscribers and a growing shift toward connected TV and OTT platforms. According to e4m, Dish TV’s Q2 FY26 revenue fell 25.2 per cent to Rs. 299.2 crore from Rs. 400 crore in the same quarter last year, reflecting continued operational weakness. Airtel Digital TV posted nearly stable revenue of Rs 753 crore, down 0.66 per cent from Q2 FY25. In H1 FY26, Dish TV’s income declined 26.5 per cent to Rs. 633.4 crore, while Airtel Digital TV recorded Rs. 1,516 crore, a slight 1.24 per cent dip. Tata Play’s FY25 revenue fell 5.05 per cent to Rs. 4,109 crore. Sun Direct did not release Q2 figures, but its first nine months of FY25 saw a 9.88 per cent decline to Rs. 939 crore.