News Broadcasting
BBC Worldwide, Baby Cow announce digital media deal
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide’s Indie Unit announced a digital media deal with award-winning producer Baby Cow. The deal give the commercial arm of the BBC the right to distribute all of Baby Cow’s programmes via all digital media platforms, both on-demand and as downloads to own.
In addition to the digital media distribution of Baby Cow’s existing content, the agreement also allows at least 30 minutes of new material which can be specifically designed for exploitation on digital media distribution platforms, such as mobile or web services dedicated to short form content.
BBC Worldwide Indie Unit Helen Jackson says, “The deal with Baby Cow is an important example of a new range of deals that BBC Worldwide is striking with its Indie partners. We’re really excited about the quality of content this deal brings to our digital media offering and about the new bespoke content we’ll be creating together.”
Baby Cow founding partner Henry Normal, says, “We at Baby Cow have been looking into ways of exploiting our content through digital media platforms for some time. BBC Worldwide, with its exciting range of distribution contacts, have provided us with the right opportunity of getting into the UK and international markets.”
BBC Worldwide Digital Media director Simon Danker commented, “We’re delighted with this deal with Baby Cow and excited about the opportunity to create brand new material for digital distribution. Baby Cow’s programming, such as The Mighty Boosh, is perfect for a digital audience and we are looking forward to using our growing expertise in this area for future development deals.”
Baby Cow was established in 1999, by comedy creators Henry Normal and Steve Coogan, and has gained an enviable reputation for new British comedy talent. The production company is responsible for hits which include: Human Remains, Doctor Terrible’s House of Horrors, Cruise of the Gods, Marion and Geoff, Nighty Night, The Keith Barret Show, Ideal, Mighty Boosh and Sensitive Skin.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
