News Broadcasting
Cable ops call off indefinite stir
NEW DELHI: The temperatures have cooled a bit on the the vexed issue of the introduction of conditional access systems (CAS) among the cable fraternity. Mollified by the assurances extended to them by information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj on the matter, cable operators who had gathered in the capital this evening decided to call off the indefinite strike that had been scheduled to kick off from midnight.
The cable operators, after their meeting with Swaraj, were initially undecided on whether to continue with the day-long strike or be content with a token hour-long blackout which they have been resorting to in Delhi and Mumbai.
“We will decide amongst ourselves whether to continue with our planned day-long strike or withdraw our agitation after the minister’s assurance,” Rajiv Vyas, chief operating officer of HTMT told indiantelevision.com after attending the meeting with the minister. The meeting was attended by about six people, which included independent cable operators too like Delhi’s Rakesh Dutta and Vikki Choudhry and Naidu from Hyderabad.
Well the decision appears to have been that there will be a three-hour blackout from 9 pm tomorrow night to midnight. However, the indefinite strike that was initially planned has definitely been called off.
Yesterday, the cable fraternity had threatened that if no decision were taken by the government on the CAS issue by today, the cable ops would resort to an indefinite blackout from midnight tonight. The decision had been taken unanimously and was supported by distributors owing allegiance to all MSOs in the Mumbai. In the capital, MSOs had adopted a similar strategy since last Friday, resorting to an hour long blackout every day to protest the delay in the implementation of CAS.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
