News Broadcasting
Hallmark’s digital movie channel to debut in Jan 2004
MUMBAI: The Hallmark Movie Channel, which is Hallmark’s first digital service, is set to debut in January 2004. Crown Media Holdings Inc., which operates the Hallmark Channel worldwide, has selected Scientific-Atlanta’s PowerVu Digital Distribution System for the transmission of its upcoming digital movie channel.
The channel has reportedly lined up a broadcast of Hallmark Hall of Fame Collection movies as also the original movies and miniseries’ from the Crown library.
The library has about 700 titles, including Moby Dick starring Gregory Peck and Patrick Stewart, The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All with Cicely Tyson, Anne Bancroft, Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland and Blythe Danner and the winner of four Emmys and Storm in Summer, which is a two-Emmy winner featuring Peter Falk, Nastassja Kinski and Andrew McCarthy. It will also buy movies from other providers.
This new channel will join the Hallmark Channel, which was launched in August 2001 and is broadcast to about 110 million cable and satellite households worldwide. In the US alone, it reaches about 56 million of the 92 million cable or satellite households.
The news of this deal with Scientific-Atlanta comes in the wake of Crown Media announcing a distribution deal with Comcast, the largest cable company in the United States. That deal is expected to give the Hallmark Channel access to an additional 10 million to 12 million US households.
“We’ve been very pleased with the PowerVu digital system which we use to deliver our east and west coast feeds,” said Hallmark Channel vice president of operations Bob Young.
Added Richard Buchanan, senior vice president of operations and business development, “In our planning, we examined various delivery systems for the digital movie channel. Our prior experience with Scientific-Atlanta’s PowerVu system worldwide provides a great amount of confidence that the capabilities of this technology solution will enable us to move forward rapidly with our launch of the Hallmark Movie Channel.”
Scientific-Atlanta Inc. is a leading supplier of digital content distribution systems, transmission networks for broadband access to the home, digital interactive set-tops and subscriber systems designed for video, high-speed Internet and voice over IP (VoIP) networks, and worldwide customer service and support.
Currently, more than 400 Scientific-Atlanta digital video compression systems are said to be transmitting over 2,000 channels of digital programming.
News Broadcasting
News18 India launches Command Centre war explainer with Arya
New show shifts from debates to decoding global conflicts and impacts
MUMBAI: News18 India has rolled out a new war-focused programme, Command Centre, featuring Gaurav Arya, as it looks to offer viewers a sharper, more grounded take on global conflicts amid rising tensions in West Asia.
Positioned as an “insider war room”, the show moves away from conventional panel debates and instead focuses on explaining military developments, decoding strategy and connecting global events to their everyday impact, from fuel prices to economic shifts.
The format leans heavily on visuals and data. The studio has been designed like a command hub, complete with large LED war maps, real-time graphics and an alert system to track developments as they unfold.
At the centre of it all is Arya, who brings his military background to simplify complex war strategies for viewers. His signature line, “Seedhi baat samjhiye”, anchors the show’s promise of clarity over noise.
News18 India managing editor Jyoti Kamal said, “Command Centre, featuring Major Gaurav Arya is designed to deliver accurate insights and a clear perspective on how evolving conflicts impact everyday life, from household budgets to national security. With expert voices analysing every development in real time, the show goes beyond headlines to decode what’s happening now, what it means, and what could come next.”
Echoing the intent, Gaurav Arya added, “In times of war, confusion is the biggest threat. With News18 India’s Command Centre, we are bringing viewers inside the war room, decoding strategies, tracking every escalation, and explaining, in the simplest terms, what it means for India and for every household. Seedhi baat samjhiye, this is where you understand not just what is happening, but what happens next.”
The weekday show will air in the afternoon slot and will also feature Gaurav Shukla, adding to its editorial depth.
With its mix of analysis, visuals and a clear focus on impact, the show reflects a broader shift in news consumption. Viewers are no longer just watching events unfold, they are looking to understand what those events mean for them.
