News18 India has strengthened its position as the leading Hindi news platform, achieving a record-breaking 845 million views on YouTube in March 2025—the highest in the News & Politics category worldwide, according to Playboard. With a 43 per cent lead over Aaj Tak, which recorded 589.4 million views, News18 India continues to dominate the segment. This milestone underscores the audience’s trust, making it the most-watched Hindi news channel for two consecutive years. The channel’s consistent performance during major events like the Delhi polls is driven by its robust programming and a distinguished team of anchors, including Kishore Ajwani, Amish Devgan, Rubika Liyaquat, Prateek Trivedi and Aman Chopra.

Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Dr. L. Murugan, held a virtual meeting with representatives from South Indian film associations to discuss their participation in the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), scheduled for May 1–5, 2025. The meeting focused on strengthening industry representation from the South, including technicians, producers, directors, and actors. Discussions also explored plans for dedicated pavilions and collaborations with regional production houses. Highlighting the significance of the summit, Dr. Murugan stated, "WAVES aims to bring together the entire media and entertainment ecosystem under one umbrella. It will be a platform to project the aspirations of India’s vibrant creative economy, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of India as a global content hub.

OpenAI has told the Delhi High Court that India's Copyright Act does not apply to the copyright infringement suit filed against it by news agency ANI, as the alleged actions took place outside Indian jurisdiction, according to Bar and Bench. Senior advocate Amit Sibal, representing OpenAI, argued that the company neither stores ANI’s data in India nor trains its language models within the country. “Any action that is claimed to be infringement must take place in the four corners of this country. If it doesn't take place in the four corners of this country, that particular action can’t be infringement,” Sibal told the court. ANI had previously alleged that OpenAI scraped its website and subscriber content to train ChatGPT, thereby violating its copyright and harming its market. OpenAI countered that its models do not store or recall specific content but learn from public data to understand language patterns. Sibal added that copyright protects the expression of ideas, not f

The passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, has ignited a firestorm of debate across India's political and social spectrum. This legislation, aimed at overhauling the management of Waqf properties, aka Islamic charitable endowments, has been both lauded for its intent to introduce transparency and criticised for allegedly infringing upon minority rights. The bill's journey through the Lok Sabha and the reactions it has elicited from various quarters provide a compelling narrative of contemporary Indian politics. But first things first. Here are the key positives and negatives of the Bill Positives: Enhanced Transparency and Efficiency: The bill introduces measures to modernise the management of Waqf properties, including digitising records and stricter auditing processes. There are now steps in place to curb mismanagement and corruption, ensuring that the assets serve their intended charitable purposes.  Negatives: Erosion of Autonomy: Critics argue that the inclusion o

Abbie Chatfield As online and podcasting influencers increasingly make their mark in federal election coverage and hold interviews with leading political figures, the Australian Electoral Commission has this afternoon cleared leading podcast host Abbie Chatfield of any wrongdoing and said a review of her content has found it “does not require an authorisation statement”. Liberal senators had raised concerns about some of the podcaster’s podcasts and material shared on social media. They believed it should have been classed as electoral material, which if true would require an official authorisation statement. PM Anthony Albanese and Adam Bandt have both appeared on Chatfield’s podcast in recent weeks. Clips of the interviews were shared on both politician’s social media accounts. Chatfield has separately encouraged her followers to put the Liberal Party last on ballot papers. In a statement, an AEC spokesperson said that while the podcasts, “could be viewed as being m

The ABC will host the first leaders' debate of the 2025 federal election between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, live from ABC Parramatta on Wednesday, 16 April at 8:00pm AEST.  According to an official release from the organisation, the debate will be moderated by Insiders host David Speers and broadcast across ABC TV, the ABC NEWS Channel, ABC iview and ABC radio platforms. Questions and topics will be determined by the ABC and not shared with the leaders in advance. Both leaders will be given equal time for opening and closing statements and to respond to questions. “This will be a gimmick-free debate, focused on the major challenges facing Australia at a critical time, and where the two leaders stand,” said Speers. “The aim is to give voters an opportunity to hear the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader discuss their competing visions for the country and genuinely debate each other. My commitment is to give both leaders fair treatmen