News Broadcasting
AXN unveils identity of the Indian team for ‘The Amazing Race Asia’
MUMBAI: One of the action oriented channel AXN’s on ground initiatives for this year is The Amazing Race Asia. The initiative kicks off on the channel on 9 November 2006 at 11 pm and the channel has revealed the ten teams selected to race around Asia and beyond for the $100,000 prize.
The show was shot earlier this year and cost millions of dollars. For the uninitiated, the show sees couples travelling across the Asia through specified modes of transport. Each couple is linked by a relationship like husband and wife, brother and sister.
AXN adds that the initiative reached a broad spectrum of people from various Asia countries, cultures and different walks of life since the call for participation that was made in February 2006. Some begged, some bragged, some even cried, just to attract the eyes of the selection committee. It was a tough process, but after much deliberation, a diverse group of contestants living in different parts of Asia, of various backgrounds and life experiences were thrown into the mix to outrun, outsmart and conquer in the race.
Out of more than 10,000 applications from all over Asia an Indian team comprising of male models Prashant Raj Sachdev and Sahil Shroff were chosen and they will compete against nine teams from Asia to win that coveted prize of fame and money. The teams will be travelling around Asia and beyond where language barriers, time constraints and foreign environments become too hot to handle.
The show’s host Allan Wu says, “The producers definitely took the time and did their homework to select the most diverse, entertaining, and controversial batch of contestants for our first season. Expect to see the usual tantrums and arguments between teams and teammates. Furthermore, expect to see clashes that you’ve never even seen on the US-version. Our contestants are from all over the region and not just one country so you are definitely going to see some major drama and rivalries.”
SPE Networks – Asia GM Ricky Ow says, “The participants are the key drivers of any challenge-reality show with the humor and drama that they create onscreen. Viewers will definitely not be disappointed by our selection of the contestants. They are a colourful and vibrant mix that will truly make The Amazing Race Asia an exceptional and really unique first-of-its-kind viewing experience for Asia viewers.”
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.
