News Broadcasting
AXN claims crossing 30 million subscription mark for Asia
With just under three months to go before it officially turns 5, action-adventure channel AXN states it now has over 30 million subscriber households in Asia.
Recent launches on Malaysia’s ASTRO and Pakistan’s Leo Communications platforms, and significant subscription increases in key Asian markets, have contributed to the network’s robust growth in Asia. Include China, where it is seen in 40 million households on day-part basis, and AXN Asia’s regional distribution is over 70 million, a company release says.
“Cable television viewers and cable operators across Asia know that for the best in action-adventure programming, there is only one choice – AXN,” said Todd Miller, AXN’s managing director. “The buzz, which first came to Asia in the thick of the economic crisis in 1997, is now a resounding beat that’s sounded across the region.”
Launched on 21 September 1997, AXN – a Columbia Tristar International Television / Sony Pictures Entertainment channel – has experienced a steady upward momentum in regional distribution, making it one of the widest distributed and fastest growing regional cable and satellite channels in Asia, the release says.
“AXN’s brand awareness has grown from strength to strength, with an undeniable shift in the perception of AXN amongst viewers, key decision makers and media planners” said Miller. “Recent events like the Hong Kong AXN Challenge, the Nokia Urban Challenge, the Action Movie Festivals, and the annual Anime Festivals have attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers from across the region, giving them the opportunity to live the attitudinally 20-something AXN lifestyle, while our programs are now subjects of regular water cooler conversations.”
Miller also explained that the channel’s growth was boosted by its burgeoning on-air and production capabilities, which now give viewers and advertisers more localised content, promos and vignettes. Last year’s original Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon promos took home the Promax and BDA Asia 2001’s Silver award for Funniest Spot, while locally-produced channel promos – depicting people who ‘get the buzz’ – will be launched next week Asia-wide on AXN’s three feeds.
“For AXN, the arrow points only one way – upwards,” concluded Miller.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
