Factual
Al Gore close to hatching deal with Vivendi
NEW YORK: When NBC finalised the deal to buy Vivendi Universal Entertainment [VUE] many thought that Al Gore’s aim of launching a news channel to counterbalance Fox News’s conservative bias had come to an end. Those people might have to do a rethink.
The former US VP is said to be near striking a $70 million deal to acquire Newsworld International. This is a small cable network owned by Vivendi Universal.
Media sources have indicated that Gore and his backers want to turn the digital channel into a liberal-leaning network. His partners include ex-Democratic fund-raiser Joel Hyatt and media investment banker Steve Rattner, who’s said to be lining up financing.
A report in the New York Times states that NWI is carried in only 20 million homes, NWI airs newscasts from around the world, including reports from the Canadian Broadcasting Co. Theoretically Gore could gut the channel for its bandwidth and reformat it for his own purposes. Interestingly Barry Diller, who sold the property to Universal had originally planned to transform . His vision was for a hipper, edgier news channel that could be an non-ideological answer to Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News.
It is possible that Vivendi could get the nod to sell NWI to Gore as part of a potential deal with NBC. Until now NBC has not tendered any cash with its partnership offer.
MUMBAI: India’s most famous hot seat is about to welcome an unlikely first-timer. For the first time on Hindi general entertainment television, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla will appear on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the iconic quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
The special episode marks a rare meeting point of boardroom heft and prime-time television, bringing one of India’s most influential business leaders face to face with the country’s most enduring screen legend. It is a crossover that blends intellect, leadership and popular culture, all under KBC’s familiar spotlight.
Birla’s appearance dovetails neatly with the show’s current theme, Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahan Akad Hai, which celebrates the confidence that comes from clarity of thought and knowledge. His presence lends weight to the idea that sharp thinking and conviction are as vital in life as they are in the quiz chair.
In a thoughtful conversation with Bachchan, Birla shared an upbeat view of India’s economic journey, pointing to the nation’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity opening up across industries and communities. He spoke of momentum, ambition and a future shaped by enterprise and ideas.
The episode is not all serious talk. In lighter moments, Birla confessed his long-standing admiration for Bachchan, calling him his favourite actor and admitting to a touch of nervousness at answering questions in front of the Shahenshah himself. The candour adds a human touch to a man more often seen in headlines than on television sets.
The special episode airs on Monday, 29 December at 9.00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.
