Prasar Bharati has invited applications for the 100th e‑auction to allot vacant MPEG‑2 slots on the DD Free Dish platform. The auction will be held online on July 16, with successful channels receiving slots from July 23, 2026, to March 31, 2027, on a pro‑rata basis. The public broadcaster said the auction will follow the E‑auction Methodology 2025, along with amendments notified in January 2026. Eligible participants include satellite television channels holding valid licences from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as well as international public broadcasters permitted by the ministry. Channels have been grouped into genre and language buckets, including Hindi and Urdu GECs, movie, music and sports channels, Bhojpuri channels, Hindi and Urdu news, devotional, and regional language channels. Broadcasters must submit applications and the prescribed processing fee within the notified timelines. Slot allocation will be based on bids received under the

Australian has more than 100,000 paying Substack users, and might be about to mint its local first millionaires on the platform. The newsletter platform has just hired its first Australian recruit with Annabel Russel, joining as head of partnerships with a remit to support local writers. This morning The Australian Financial Review’s Sam Buckingham-Jones profiled CheckonChain, which is currently ranked as Australia’s number one Substack publication and is also ranked number one in the world in the crypto category. CheckonChain was established by co-founders James Check and Alec Dejanovic two and a half years ago and has 3000 paying subscribers netting an annual recurring run rate of $1.4 million. A third member of the team Jacinta O-Toole was brought on to work on design and creative and the three operate from a co-working space in North Sydney. Russell told the Fin that CheckonChain was a great example of what Substack could offer Australian writers and creators as

Middle East edges back to war as US-Iran strikes resume A fragile ceasefire appears to be collapsing, with the US and Iran exchanging attacks and fresh tension centred on the Strait of Hormuz — a flashpoint with direct implications for global energy prices and Australia’s cost-of-living outlook. Coverage also frames the conflict as sliding toward an open-ended phase, with Washington weighing limited response options as Tehran’s leadership rejects compromise. Covered by: The Australian, The Australian. Hanson’s slide: One Nation support drops as Coalition gains New polling suggests One Nation’s vote is slipping and flowing back to the Coalition, with Pauline Hanson’s personal ratings falling hardest among women and overseas-born voters after recent policy positions and controversies. The shift matters because it could reshape preference flows and Senate dynamics, and it sharpens the political stakes around Hanson’s media appearances and cand

The BBC has crossed the 500 million mark for the first time since contemporary audience records began, reaching 502 million people every week across BBC News, the BBC World Service and content distributed by BBC Studios. The figure represents an 11 per cent year-on-year increase. India continues to be the BBC's largest international market, with BBC News reaching 74 million people every week, up from 64 million a year earlier. The United States, Nigeria, Iran and Tanzania follow as the broadcaster's other biggest international audiences. The growth in India was driven by the BBC's Indian language services. BBC News Hindi remained the largest language service with a weekly audience of 27.3 million. BBC News Punjabi recorded the fastest growth, rising 76 per cent to 2.2 million, followed by Gujarati (up 66 per cent to 5.5 million), Marathi (up 57 per cent to 8.2 million), Telugu (up 17 per cent to 7.5 million) and Tamil (up 14 per cent to 13.7 million). Rupa Jha, Co-foun

Debashis Sarkar has rejoined CNN-News18 as Technology Editor after a stint as Editorial Consultant at Verve Research. Speaking with Influencing Sarkar said he would lead technology content across News18 Digital and CNN-News18, with a focus on strengthening content-to-commerce initiatives, expanding technology and lifestyle video content, and building the team. "I'm genuinely excited to be back at CNN-News18. I'll be heading tech content across News18 Digital and CNN-News18, with a focus on building out content-to-commerce and videos for tech and lifestyle while growing the team from the ground up. It feels less like a new chapter and more like coming home, with a lot more to build this time around," he said. Sarkar brings more than 12 years of experience in digital journalism, editorial coordination and communications. He began his career as a trainee at EEY and has since worked across technology content, audience engagement and editorial strategy, helping drive

Earlier this week, the British Broadcasting Corporation had put out a report claiming that its global audience had grown to reach over half a billion people every week for the first time since they began taking note of audience reach. Across BBC News, the BBC World Service and content distributed by BBC Studios, the BBC saw its international audience grow to 502 million people – up 11 per cent year-on-year. In comparison, India's public service broadcaster Doordarshan, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting along with All India Radio under Prasar Bharati, has lost its relevance among Indian audience as a credible source of news although an MIB report earlier this year claimed that Doordarshan recorded a cumulative gross unique viewership of 372.8 crore between 2021 and January 2026, according to estimates by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). While Doordarshan can proudly boast of being the only channel that spans across the length and bread