News Broadcasting
Mandira replaces Ruby in MAX’s ‘Extraaa Innings’
MUMBAI: The svelte cricket-loving Mandira Bedi has replaced bubbly Ruby Bhatia in MAX’s Extraaa Innings during the forthcoming World Cup Cricket 2003.
SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta confirmed the same at the Advertising Club Bombay panel discussion on marketing opportunities that advertisers could leverage for their brands by ensuring participation in the forthcoming World Cup cricket (WCC) 2003. Bedi however was not available for comment as she was out of station.
Bedi’s inclusion will be targetted at attracting women viewers during the early afternoon slots when the World Cup commences early February next year. Extraaa Innings will spearhead the entertainment segment of the two-hour pre-match programming and post-match programming on MAX, the sports and movie channel of SET.
Bedi, unlike Bhatia, could relate better with women viewers with her Indian looks and wholesome appeal, feel industry sources. MAX had claimed an increase in female viewership for cricket and cricket-related programming during the Champion’s Trophy held in September this year.
The cricket programming had drawn criticism from some quarters for the dumbing down of the game it entailed. The channel had however insisted that ratings for Extraaa Innings proved otherwise.
Bedi was first noticed by a UTV director, Adi Pocha who cast her as Shanti in 1994. Bedi has also acted in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.. as a character with grey shades.
Bedi is currently acting in a sitcom Papa Baan Gaye Hero for Sony.
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.
