News Broadcasting
Orion acquires exclusive US license for Hugo
MUMBAI: US Kids may now interact with their favourite animated character Hugo through SMA on Live TV, courtesy Orion. The company has announced that it will work closely with Interactive Television Entertainment (ITE) to introduce the very successful Hugo character into the US.
Hugo has already proven very popular with children in 22 countries in Latin America, Europe and China. Hugo enjoys fame in more than 40 countries and is one of the strongest global brands in children’s entertainment. Orion now has the exclusive license to distribute Hugo in the US.
The company has already started negotiations with potential Web portals and media networks to handle the distribution of this property in the US.
The Hugo property includes a complete wireless component enabling young viewers to interact with their favorite troll using text messaging (SMS) safely. The Hugo property includes downloads of Java games, Hugo ringtones and Hugo wallpapers. Hugo may be broadcast live or from pre-recorded TV shows. The complete Hugo package includes DVDs, PC games, tapes, books, Hugo ringtones, and Hugo wallpapers.
Orion Information Services CEO Kristian Gjerding was quoted in an official release saying, “The Hugo property fits perfectly with our framework of fully interactive wireless entertainment. Its style, technology infrastructure, and business model is compatible with our current properties, SmartFlirts, GossipGirls and our Mobile Entertainment Portal. We can see that both wireless and media companies we will work with in the coming years to introduce Hugo in the US will find it lucrative.”
Orion Information Services develops, markets and delivers profitable, engaging, Web-centric mobile content and properties to consumers through partnerships with established traditional media groups, wireless companies, and Internet commerce companies. Orion provides its partners with content, supporting technology, delivery of properties to consumers, and the accounting infrastructure
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
