News Broadcasting
Google IPO seeks $2.7 billion
MUMBAI: Putting an end to months of speculation, Internet search leader Google has launched its initial public offering (IPO), seeking to raise $2.7 billion.
The IPO was launched through an unusual auction-style offering in order to give the founders rare control over the company.
The registration filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission offers an estimate of what the company believes it may be able to raise with its IPO. But the filing does not disclose the number of shares that will be offered nor the range in price for these shares, says reports.
Taking a cue from the successful IPO structures of media companies such as The New York Times, Google will create two classes of shares with different voting rights. The move ensures that founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will maintain decision-making authority.
“It is important to us to have a fair process for our IPO that is inclusive of both small and large investors. It is also crucial that we achieve a good outcome for Google and its current shareholders,” states the filing.
In their letter to investors, Brin and Page said they plan to sell some of their shares as part of the offering and are encouraging other shareholders to do so as well.
With the filing, Google for the first time released its financial results. The company generated $961.9 million in revenue in fiscal 2003 and posted $105.6 million in net profit. That marked the third consecutive year of profits for the search engine giant. During the most recent quarter, which ended on 31 March, Google clocked $389.6 million in revenue and posted a $64 million profit.
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.
