News Broadcasting
bbcshop.com reports a 40 per cent rise in X’mas sales
MUMBAI: With online retail sales booming this Christmas, UK pubcaster The BBC’s own retailer, bbcshop.com is already reporting a 40 per cent increase in sales compared to the same time last year – with Shakespeare leading the way.
The number one bestseller by value of all titles on the site so far is the BBC Television Shakespeare Collection on DVD. Titles that have done well during the past month include the 10th anniversary DVD of Pride & Prejudice; the audiobook version of Radio 4’s This Sceptred Isle: Empire; and Alan Titchmarsh’s Christmas anthology book, Fill My Stocking.
Toys are selling well too. Number one on the toys bestseller list is the Doctor Who mini interactive radio-controlled Dalek with the Doctor Who electronic sonic screwdriver a close second .
A banner on the bbc shop homepage takes users straight to the Christmas Gift Department which offers reasonably priced gifts at all prices. The shop also runs a gift-wrapping service and orders are despatched immediately, with 98 per cent arriving at their destination on the next working day.
There are some price promotions for Christmas this year, including classic BBC costume drama DVDs on offer at up to 50 per cent off, and a buy one get one free offer on selected Doctor Who DVDs. The BBC online shop carries 4,000 items published by both BBC Worldwide and other publishers of broadcast-related roducts.
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.
