News Broadcasting
China all set to make ‘Friends’
BEIJING: The sitcom Friends may be in its last season but Joey and the gang are all set to be introduced to the worlds largest television audience.
The Chinese state broadcaster, China Central Television, will begin broadcasting the popular NBC sitcom next year. A report in the Beijing Star Daily newspaper has stated that in Chinese, the show will be called Laoyouji meaning “Old Friends’ Story.” In India the show airs on Zee English and Star World.
The report adds that the show is already popular in China. Pirates are making a killing of counterfeit DVDs of various Friends seasons. They cost less than $6 and sell well along with fake copies of Hollywood blockbusters.
CCTV has already experienced enormous success with HBO’s war miniseries Band of Brothers. Besides Friends CCTV had reviewed 24 (airs in India on AXN) and The West Wing (airs in India on Zee English). However due to the delicate political environment of those shows the broadcaster is expected to refuse them.
Another report in the Beijing Youth Daily indicates that CCTV reaches over 84 per cent of the total population of China. Importing popular foreign television shows is one of many CCTV strategies to boost ratings among younger audiences.
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.
