News Broadcasting
Animax Asia to have three feeds by end of Jan
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has big plans for Asia in the animation area. It will have three dedicated feeds for Animax Asia by the end of the month. As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, the channel will showcase the best of Japanese animation.
A dedicated service will be launched for Hong Kong on 12 January. This will be followed a South East Asia service on 19 January. This will complement the Taiwan service, which launched on 1 January and is already viewed in over a million homes, claims the channel.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on the channel, SPE Asia’s marketing VP Gregory Ho says, “We are extremely excited about Animax Asia which we believe has tremendous potential and meets a large but rather under served audience. Animax is a basic tier channel. Our target audience are those in the seven – 35 year bracket.”
Regarding the launch of Animax Asia in India, Ho said, “As you can imagine, at this point all our efforts are focused on successfully launching these three services and it is a little too premature for us to make any comments beyond them.”
Ho went on to elaborate on the programme blocks which had been created. “The programming in prime time is divided into four key belts. The first is Kids Hour (5 – 7 pm) – for school kids seven – 14 years. It will feature anime that is fun, creative, educational and entertaining. This will be followed with Youth Hour (7 – 9pm). Targeted at teenagers, the content will rest on fantasy, sci-fi and sports. Many of these have been popularised by games, merchandise, and in highly read comics.”
“Mega Zone (9 – 11pm) is for the adult viewer. It will have the hottest shows from Japan ranging from romance and drama to action and sci-fi. Finally we have Super Maniax (11pm – 12 midnight) – appealing more to adults and die hard fans. This will mix classic anime with anime that have more sophisticated themes.”
Ho added that alongside Japanese anime programmes that have not been seen outside the land of the rising sun, Animax Asia will also feature anime movies which are rarely broadcast on TV. They are usually only available on DVD / VCD.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
