News Broadcasting
Worldspace subscription passes the 100,000 mark
MUMBAI: Radio satellite service provider WorldSpace has announced that it recently passed 100,000 subscribers globally – reinforcing the company’s execution against its business plan through the sequential roll out of services in key Indian and other global markets.
The company says that its services have resonated with consumers across the world, including India where the company remains focussed on building content and partner networks to increase visibility and drive consumer demand.
Worldspace chairman and CEO Noah Samara says, “Reaching 100,000 subscribers is an important milestone for WorldSpace and it reflects the effective implementation of our strategic plan, which is to leverage attractive market opportunities for our subscription services. We are very pleased with our progress and we intend to continue aggressive sales and marketing efforts that will enable us to grow our subscriber base.”
This year in India Worldspace launched roll-outs in nine cities in India, including Mumbai, New Delhi and Chandigarh. Launching in these cities has enabled the company to access a population of approximately 29 million in its primary target market. As of 30 September, 2005, Worldspace’s services were available at approximately 550 retail locations in India.
Worldspace delivers the latest tunes, trends and information from around the world and around the corner. Worldspace subscribers benefit from a combination of local programming, original WorldSpace content and content from global brands like the BBC, CNN, Virgin Radio UK, NDTV and RFI.
WorldSpace’s satellites cover two-thirds of the globe with six beams. Each beam is capable of delivering up to 80 channels of high quality digital audio and multimedia programming directly to Worldspace Satellite Radios anytime and virtually anywhere in its coverage area.
News Broadcasting
Book Cricket gets a digital century on News18 amid T20 fever
Nostalgic classroom game revamped in English, Hindi plus Telugu on web and app.
MUMBAI: When the T20 World Cup fever hits fever pitch, News18 decides to flip the script straight back to the classroom. The digital news platform has revived the timeless schoolyard favourite Book Cricket as an interactive online game, perfectly timed to ride the cricket wave gripping fans across the globe. The reimagined Book Cricket ditches textbooks for smartphones, blending old-school nostalgia with modern gameplay. Once a sneaky recess pastime played by flicking book pages to score runs, the digital version now offers seamless fun for anyone craving a quick cricket fix between overs.
Available in English, Hindi and Telugu (with more languages planned across News18’s network), the game sits within the platform’s fast-growing gaming portfolio of over 20 titles, all built in-house. It joins event-driven hits like ‘Kursi Catcher’ and ‘Result Rewind’ during the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections, plus festive specials such as ‘Durga’s Astras’ for Durga Puja and ‘Mouse Modak’ for Ganesh Chaturthi.
News18 Digital CEO Mitul Sangani said, “Gaming is a key pillar of our engagement strategy. At News18, we uniquely combine our newsroom agility with immersive gaming experiences. By blending credible content with interactive formats, we are creating meaningful engagement in an era defined by shrinking attention spans and evolving consumption habits.”
Select titles have expanded beyond News18.com to CNBC-TV18.com and Firstpost.com, reflecting the network’s push to deepen user interaction across platforms. The Book Cricket game is live now at https://www.news18.com/games/book-cricket/.
In a tournament where every boundary counts, News18’s digital Book Cricket proves the simplest games can still deliver the biggest smiles no syllabus required, just pure cricket joy one page-flip at a time.
