News Broadcasting
BSkyB records big subscriber jump
MUMBAI: Somebody’s loss is usually someone else’s gain. News Corp controlled British satellite TV operator BSkyB has reported a big jump in subscriber numbers built to an extent on the back of the April collapse of rival ITV Digital.
BSkyB, Britain’s number one pay-TV operator said it signed up 214,000 new subscribers. This takes its subscriber base to 6.1 million, well on course for its target of 7 million by the end of next year, Reuters has reported.
BSkyB, 36 per cent owned by News Corp and chaired by Rupert Murdoch, is one of the core assets in the media tycoon’s global satellite TV platform Sky Global.
Also earlier this month, BSkyB secured a four-year contract with the English Football League to broadcast its matches for 95 million pounds. The contract was previously held by ITV Digital.
In another positive development for BSkyB, the heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson on 8 June has proved a knockout for the pay TV operator.
BSkyB said quarterly annualised average revenue per direct-to-home subscriber (ARPU) in the three months to end June was 347, an increase of 11 per cent over the three months ended 30 June 2001.
The company said ARPU was calculated excluding pay-per-view revenues from the Lewis-Tyson fight to reflect the “one-off” nature of the event. Including these revenues, ARPU was 352.
Lewis beat Tyson in eight rounds in Memphis to retain his WBS and IBF world titles.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
