News Broadcasting
BVITV showcases 7 new & 10 returning series at upfront
MUMBAI: Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) will be launching a total of 17 new and returning network series for the ’06-’07 season.
This follows a year in, which BVITV has seen the success of Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy.
BVITV’s sixth annual international upfronts event was held on 21 May. The event was hosted by Buena Vista Worldwide Television president Laurie Younger and BVITV EMEA executive vice president and managing director Tom Toumazis.
At the event, BVITV launched four new one-hour series, two new half hour series, and one new reality series/format. The new one-hour series are Betty the Ugly (with Salma Hayek as executive producer), Brothers & Sisters, Day Break, Six Degrees (all in production for ABC), and the two new half-hours are In Case of Emergency and Let’s Rob… Its new reality series/format is How to Get the Guy.
The company’s returning one-hour series are Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and Lost (all returning for a third season), plus Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer and What About Brian (moving into their second season).
The returning half-hour series are Scrubs (sixth season), and According to Jim (sixth season). The three-time Emmy-winning reality series/format The Amazing Race will also return for a ninth season, along with America’s Funniest Home Videos, which will return for a 17th season.
In addition, BVITV will be previewing to clients at LA Screenings the new one-hour series Kyle XY, Lincoln Heights and Three Moons Over Milford, all of which are in production for ABC Family.
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.
