News channels in India increased ad rates significantly during the Union Budget weekend, driven by high audience interest and advertiser demand. According to e4m, rates for live speeches and analysis climbed sharply compared to standard pricing. TV9 reportedly raised 10‑second slot charges to nearly Rs 12,000, attracting banking, insurance, LIC, and automobile advertisers. News24 also increased rates 1.5× to 2×, led by FMCG, BFSI, and automobile brands. Other channels gained from higher ad revenue as well. Despite the surge in demand, advertisers approached spending cautiously, keeping in mind a wider slowdown in the market.

Aaj Tak is set to host Salaam Cricket, a flagship event bringing together prominent names from Indian cricket to analyse Team India’s preparations for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. The initiative aims to offer viewers in-depth discussions on player form, team combinations, match strategies, and performance under pressure.  The event will feature cricketers including Rishabh Pant, who is expected to share insights from his World Cup experience and perspectives on modern-day cricket. Fast bowling discussions will be led by Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav, while veterans Madan Lal, Atul Wassan, and Chetan Sharma will reflect on India’s bowling legacy. Sunil Gavaskar is also set to present his views on technique and the evolution of the game.   World Cup winners Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, and Yuzvendra Chahal will discuss the mindset required to perform on the global stage.  Through Salaam Crick

Kumar Anupam from Technische Universiteit Delft, The Netherlands, has joined the Editorial Board of the Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure Journal for the term January 2026 to January 2028. In this role, he will focus on articles related to intelligent pavement infrastructure and contribute to advancing innovation in transportation infrastructure. The journal serves as a global platform for research and knowledge exchange in modern transportation systems. Dr Anupam’s appointment reflects his continued contribution to the field and his engagement in developing smarter and more efficient infrastructure solutions.  

Compass Communications has been appointed as the public relations partner for Virohan, a leading healthcare education company in India.  As part of the mandate, Compass Communications will handle Virohan’s brand communications, focusing on strengthening its market presence and supporting its mission to bridge the skills gap in the healthcare sector.  Founded in 2018, Virohan has partnered with over 20 universities, trained more than 13,000 students, and worked with 2,000+ healthcare employers. Its academic partners include UPES, BBD University, CMR University, Assam Don Bosco University, MIT Shillong, G.H. Raisoni University and Silver Oak University, while its industry partners include Lenskart, Medanta, Healthians and Dr. Lal PathLabs.  Commenting on the mandate, Compass Communications co-founders Rafi Q Khan and Rohan Srinivasan said the agency looks forward to supporting Virohan’s growth journey and strengthening its leadership narrative in healthcar

  A journalist was among two people killed, while two others sustained critical injuries in a head-on collision between two cars on the Jalna–Jintur highway near Ganeshpur in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district around 1 am on Tuesday, police said. The accident took place under the Charthana police station limits when a car travelling from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Parbhani (MH 22 AW 5115) collided head-on with another vehicle coming from Jintur towards Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (MH 14 FS 0897). The impact was severe, leaving both vehicles badly damaged at the front. Police said two occupants died on the spot, while the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they remain in critical condition. Charthana police have registered a case and are investigating the cause of the accident, United News of India reported.  

  The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) flagged deepening concerns over the continuing shortage of newsprint in the country, noting that the deficit has pushed newspaper publishers to depend heavily on imports, The Tribune reported. In a statement, the apex body of newspaper publishers said India consumes nearly 1.2 million tonnes of newsprint annually, while domestic output has remained below 0.5 million tonnes. This means local mills are able to supply only about 40 per cent of the requirement, pointing to what the INS described as a significant hollowing out of the sector. The INS observed that this demand-supply mismatch has persisted for over 20 years, with little to no expansion in dedicated newsprint manufacturing capacity during the period. Given this long-standing structural limitation, the society said newspaper publishers have little choice but to turn to imports to maintain uninterrupted printing and distribution. It underlined that a steady supply of newsprint is vital

Image edited by Dinesh Raj M   The Orange Economy arrived in Budget 2026 wearing all the right buzzwords. Creativity. IP. Storytelling. Global influence. Yet the one profession built entirely on original stories was nowhere to be found. In a budget obsessed with content, journalism didn’t even get a footnote. In Union Budget 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave it official blessing, tying it to jobs, skilling, AVGC, gaming, animation, creators and global cultural influence. But if you work in a newsroom, that warmth fades quickly because for all the talk of creativity and content, journalism is missing from the picture. Not sidelined subtly. Just… absent. The Orange Economy, as framed by the Budget and the Economic Survey, is entertainment-first. Film. OTT. Gaming. Digital creators. IP that travels well and monetises cleanly. The numbers are loud. India’s media and entertainment industry is valued at Rs 2.5 lakh crore. YouTube alone paid out ro