News Broadcasting
After hearing Zee’s side, case adjourned to Monday
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has adjourned hearing in the much-contested BCCI cricket telecast rights case to Monday after Zee Telefilms exhaustively put forward its argument.
Arguing before a two-judge Bench of Chief Justice DS Bhandari and Justice DY Chandrachud, Zee’s counsel argued that ESPN has not produced a ‘clean signal’ of live cricket matches completely in-house. Neither the West Indies-India series nor the South Africa-India and England matches were exclusively produced by ESPN. It was only in the Asia Cup that the production was done in-house.
Zee raised the point that ESPN had sidelined the consortium clause and was creating confusion over production facilities. The ‘hawk eye’ camera and other facilities belonged to proprietary companies and neither to ESPN or to Zee. ‘Today to produce the match for telecasting, cameras are planted. All of us rent out those facilities. It is only a question of how much each of us do,’ argued the Zee counsel.
ESPN had been showing cricket in India so far. Zee has a presence in 88 countries and has been showing cricket when India plays overseas. “If BCCI is entertaining Zee today, the board obviously considers us eligible,” said the Zee counsel.
Justice Chandrachud queried Zee counsel on whether the company had experience in TV production of cricket matches as Zee had mentioned ‘telecast but no production’ experience in its bid for the BCCI rights. Zee counsel admitted that Zee had never produced clean signals. “But neither ESPN nor Zee have produced clean signals for two years,” the counsel said.
Zee pointed out that PriceWaterhouse Coopers was the global auditor of ESPN and had a conflict of interest. “PwC had not sent any reply to Zee on its inquiries. But ESPN had got a response from PwC in a letter on September 6,” the counsel said.
India has emerged as the largest commercial market for cricket and accounts for 80 per cent of the worldwide revenue for the sport. BCCI has put up tenders and an Indian-owned company with a homegrown network with large production facilities has bid. “Let’s not miss the wood for the trees,” the Zee counsel said. “The public interest has suffered. ESPN has put no argument saying that it has been detrimental to public interest. They are only working for their interest and monopoly.”
Earlier, ESPN counsel argued that the licence was under Zee TV, USA. Zee had never done any cricket production, he added.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 launches weekend show Health Matters to decode health trends
New show aims to cut through viral wellness fads with expert-backed advice
MUMBAI: In an age where viral reels often double up as lifestyle advice, CNN-News18 is launching a weekend show aimed at separating health facts from fashionable myths.
Titled News18 Health Matters, the half-hour programme will premiere on 14 March 2026 and position itself as a reliable guide through the maze of wellness trends, internet remedies and quick-fix health advice that increasingly shape everyday decisions.
India is in the midst of a major health transition. Lifestyle diseases are striking earlier, stress and sleep deprivation have become routine, and health choices are often influenced by trending content rather than medical evidence. The new show leans into this reality with a simple premise: trending does not always mean true.
Anchored by Hem Kaur Saroya and Himani Chandna, the programme will air every Saturday at 8:30 am and 5:30 pm and on Sundays at 10:30 am. Episodes will also be available on the channel’s YouTube platform.
Each instalment will tackle everyday health concerns that are increasingly entering mainstream conversations. Topics range from the rise of heart attacks among people under 40 and the growing reliance on protein supplements, to the rush toward weight-loss drugs and the widespread overuse of painkillers. The show will also examine issues such as screen addiction, chronic sleep loss, stress-related disorders and the rising prevalence of thyroid conditions, diabetes and hypertension.
Speaking about the launch, Rahul Shivshankar said the show aims to bring clarity to a space crowded with misinformation.
“With Health Matters, CNN-News18 aims to cut through the noise and empower viewers with clear, expert-led conversations grounded in science and medical evidence. At a time when viral trends increasingly influence lifestyle choices, it is important to distinguish between what is trending and what is truly beneficial for long-term health,” he said.
Echoing the sentiment, Smriti Mehra said the programme reflects the channel’s commitment to responsible and relevant programming.
“With growing public interest in wellness and preventive health, Health Matters strengthens CNN-News18’s focus on issues that affect everyday life. In an increasingly crowded information space, credible and verified health conversations have never been more important,” she said.
With Health Matters, CNN-News18 is betting that viewers want more than bite-sized advice and viral fixes. The show promises something rarer in the age of algorithm-driven wellness tips: calm, credible conversations that help people make better health choices.
