News Broadcasting
3G operator in UK to launch mobile World Cup TV show
MUMBAI: 3G, the UK-based mobile media company, is set to launch the first commissioned sports programming for Mobile TV. Berlin or Bust, which airs on 5 June, will be an irreverent and entertaining look at the tournament, providing fans with previews and reviews of every day’s action throughout the year’s most important event.
Fronted by presenter Sam Delaney and with a host of footy-loving celebrities on the guest list, from the Kaiser Chiefs to Ray Winstone, Berlin or Bust will be a riotous magazine show, in contrast to the BBC and ITV suited and booted studio commentary teams. Football legend Ray Wilkins will join Sam to analyse the day’s play and news from the tournament, states an official release.
3 customers will be able to tune in to two daily editions of Berlin or Bust’s flagship show, timed to ensure fans are kept entertained while on their way to watch games or on their way back from the pub.
The show will be available free to all 3 customers throughout the tournament. 3’s World Cup related mobile TV programming also includes free 4-minute highlight packages of all 64 matches just five minutes after each match ends, adds the release.
The preview show does what it says on the tin – previewing what could happen during the day’s matches, players to watch out for and refs that could prove tricky. The show will also include special reports from Ally McCoist “Man in Germany”, reporting on the latest gossip from the England camp and updates on what is happening on the ground in Germany. Preview Show special features include:
* The Jock Report – 3’s embittered Scottish correspondent gives his unashamedly biased and abusive assessment of the day’s England news.
* Ref Watch – A potted biog of the referees of the day’s key matches as the presenters pick holes in their performance so far.
* Face-Off – The worst pre-match painted faces and comedy hats.
* Journo-balls- Sam’s pick of the strange stuff, outrageous predictions and general news from the morning’s papers.
* Flashpoint – The two players in the game most likely to clash.
* Fan Updates – Video rants, messages, crazy celebrations; a round-up of the best amusing World Cup related content sent in by 3 customers.
Fans will be able to access further updates throughout the day until the Review Show airs after the final match with more features and frank opinions on the day’s action. Features include:
* Seven Faces of Sven – A gallery of the seven separate facial expressions of the England manager as he manages the team in his last major tournament.
* The Furniture Store – A quick look at the World Cup tables to see who’s on the up, who’s struggling and who’s already heading home.
* Ref Rant – The fans get their say about the refs of the day, with prizes for the best.
* Table top analysis – pub-style tactical analysis featuring pint pots and ashtrays as the key players.
* The Sub Plot – The hidden theme of the match, noticed by “the 3 sofa” whilst everyone else was focusing on the main action.
3G UK marketing director Graeme Oxby says, “This is the first World Cup since the launch of 3G and we expect to see a massive difference in the way fans keep up with the action when compared to 2002. 3 has been keeping football fans up-to-date for the last three seasons with Premiership highlights, match updates and news and now its time to take this expertise into the World’s biggest sporting tournament. The launch of Berlin or Bust means that fans can now enjoy their best ever World Cup by making sure they are never out of touch with the action.”
3’s free World Cup content will also include match highlights made available following every game, five minutes after the final whistle. A new match centre application for the 2006 Fifa World Cup will also offer minute-by-minute text commentary and in-match statistics from every game.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
