News Broadcasting
AXN to hold video shoots for applicants of The Amazing Race Asian edition
MUMBAI: For the niche English entertainment channels the challenge this year will be to hook audiences better by offering a 360 degree experience.
The action oriented AXN has done that succesfully over the years with efforts like Extreme Dhamaka and Hot ‘N’ Wild. This year it is doing an Asian version of the reality show The Amazing Race.
Last month indiantelevision.com had reported that AXN was on the lookout for participants to join the show. Ten to 12 teams will be selected from across Asia to participate in the race, which will be produced for a 13-episode television series.
Now the channel has announced that it has extended the application deadline. It is also holding open video shoots to help people make their application videos.
Interested applicants can visit AXN’s website to find out the locations for the video recording services. The shoot will be conducted on 25 March 2006 and interested applicants can register their interest by 22 March online. Basically the channel is looking for teams with the chemistry, attitude, personality and the X-factor needed to conquer this gruelling race.
SPE Networks GM Ricky Ow explains that the initiative is in line with the channels aim to give adventure-seeking audiences in Asia their best chance to experience the adventure of a lifetime. “So we decided to help them out by holding open video shoots and giving them some more time to apply. The open video shoots will add a lot of fun to the process.”
Ow is also satisfied about the response to date. “So far, nearly 10,000 application forms have been downloaded from our website and we cannot wait to select some outstanding teams that will demonstrate the passion of Asians in a show that will surely excite and surprise viewers. The diversity of language and cultural practices in Asia will add a colourful mix of sensational drama and action, as we have seen in some excellent audition videos so far.”
AXN further says that it has received many enquiries from potential contestants, one of the common ones being the need for both team members to have international driving licenses. The channel says that The Amazing Race Asia is a challenging adventure and contestants will need to drive through all kinds of conditions and over great distances. While the producers will accept entries where only one member can drive, applicants are still strongly encouraged to form teams with two drivers in order to be competitive.
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.
