News Broadcasting
CAS Bill first item on RS agenda today; discussion post-lunch
NEW DELHI: The Cable TV (Networks) Regulation Amendment Bill 2002, the passage of which will bring in conditional access system (CAS) in the country, has been listed as the first item on the agenda of the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) of the Indian Parliament today.
The discussion on the CAS Bill is scheduled to take place after the luncheon session.
Information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj had expressed confidence in a conversation with indiantelevision.com last Friday that the process of implementation of the CAS should get the nod of the Rajya Sabha this week.
Sounding absolutely confident of the passage of the Bill, Swaraj had stated she did not foresee any opposition to the Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
Swaraj’s assertive stance on CAS followed soon after the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), after initial reservations on CAS, made it public that it supports the government initiatives on CAS.
The Bill, which seeks to facilitate implementation of CAS and bring about addressability in Indian cable homes, has already been okayed by the Lok Sabha (Lower House) during the Monsoon Session itself. The Bill is now awaiting the Rajya Sabha’s nod before it is enacted into law.
The Rajya Sabha, where the government does not have a majority, has been a problem area for the government as far as CAS is concerned. The Opposition Members of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha — mainly the Communist party of India (Marxist) and the Congress Party — had been demanding that the issue of CAS be discussed thoroughly and, preferably, be referred to a parliamentary committee for more deliberations on the issue.
A senior RS partyman of the CPM, Nilotpaul Basu, had told indiantelevision.com recently that his party is for CAS to be referred to a parliamentary panel for more discussion on the issue. However, Basu could not be contacted for comments on Swaraj’s latest assertion on CAS.
Finally, after a whole host of twists and turns, CAS looks on its way to becoming reality, though its actual implementation will take some more time.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
