News Broadcasting
BBC claims excellent response to interactive Olympics feature
MUMBAI: BBC’s decision to provide interactive services in the UK for the Olympics has paid off.
As many as 8.96 million digital satellite viewers pressed the red button to use the BBC’s interactive Olympic services. This represents the highest reaching service to date and more than double the previous peak for Wimbledon 2004.
While 83 per cent of those who had pressed the red button used the service for more than three minutes, 61 per cent were still interacting 15 minutes into the service, and 51 per cent stayed over 25 minutes.
Figures show that 58 per cent of the available digital satellite (Sky) audience pressed red to interact. The BBC’s broadband Olympics service which included both live and highlights coverage attracted an estimated 2.8 million requests for at-home broadband streaming.
The site bbc.co.uk/olympics attracted 5.7 million unique users during the games. BBC Sport’s head of New Media, Sports News and Development Andrew Thompson said, “This was the first ever truly interactive Olympics. It is a model for multi-media working at the BBC in the future.
“The interactive services give our audiences exactly what they wanted across the web and interactive TV: extra choice about what events they watch, when and how they watched them.
“The figures we got are a tribute to the production and technical teams who worked so effectively together across all media to deliver a fantastic choice of compelling content.”
The BBC’s interactive Olympics service gave digital satellite and cable viewers the opportunity to choose from four streams of live coverage through the red button in addition to BBC One and BBC Two.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
