News Broadcasting
HTMT acquires Source One Communications USA
MUMBAI: Hinduja TMT (HTMT) has signed an agreement with Georgeson Shareholder Communications, Inc. to acquire 100 per cent of Source One Communications Inc.USA (SOC) in an all-cash deal of approximately US$ 8.5 million, funded entirely through internal accruals.
SOC has operations in New Jersey (USA), Toronto (Canada) and Manila (Philippines) through a subsidiary called Source One Communications Asia (SOCA).
SOCA is a joint venture company set up in 2001 between SOC (57.5 per cent ownership) and Customer Contact Center Inc. (c3), Manila (42.5 per cent ownership). It may be recalled that HTMT recently acquired controlling interest in c3, which has independent revenue of USD 6.8 Million and for which HTMT paid USD 3.9 million. With the acquisition of SOC and its current shareholding in SOCA, HTMT has consolidated its ownership of SOCA, informs an official release.
SOC had consolidated revenue of USD 15.87 million in its fiscal year ended 30 June 2004. It currently operates a total of 500 call center seats in USA, Canada and the Philippines, which is growing today. Source One has on-shore, near-shore and off-shore call center facilities at USA, Canada and Philippines. It has multi lingual capabilities of French & Spanish besides English. The company has marketing and client management teams located in New Jersey, adds the release.
Together with c3, the total number of seats in Manila amount to over 1000. The total number of clients served by SOC, SOCA and c3 are 22. These clients include multinationals and Fortune 500 companies in different verticals like pharmaceutical products, consumer electronics and household products, financial services, energy and utilities.
Commenting on the SOC acquisition, HTMT COO K observed: “Source One is an excellent strategic fit to our past acquisition of c3. The current acquisition is a definitive step in the evolution of HTMT into a global ITES company. Cross selling BPO, call center services with multi lingual capabilities, and IT in diversified verticals across different geographical locations now provides HTMT a competitive edge against its peers leading to potential scaling and higher profitability. We believe that the scaling up of both SOCA and c3 operations based on excellent customer response to the quality and competitiveness delivered, is likely to considerably improve the topline and bottomline of the entities.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
