News Broadcasting
CNN.com claims excellent response for Iraq conflict coverage
MUMBAI: With the Iraq war gaining steam, news broadcaster CNN has claimed an excellent response for its round the clock coverage online.
An official release informs that millions of people around the globe logged onto CNN international news network’s web sites to get the latest updates on the Iraq war since the outbreak of hostilities on 20 March. Some of the highest page impressions ever achieved on CNN web sites have been recorded since then.
On Thursday, the first full day of the conflict, CNN.com registered 236 million page impressions, the second highest level of traffic ever for CNN (12 September, 2001 was the highest day with 337 million page impressions). Traffic remained high on 21 March registering as the fourth highest day, with 183 million page impressions on CNN.com worldwide.
There has also been specific growth of CNN’s international sites, with the highest ever traffic on CNNArabic.com, CNN’s Arabic language site, which increased by over 60 per cent on a daily basis in the first days of the conflict. The international edition increased traffic by over 60 per cent on Wednesday and by a further 100 per cent on 21 March, the highest level of daily traffic seen on either edition since the launch.
The trend continued over the weekend when CNN.com’s traffic on 22 March was 71 million page impressions, representing twice as much traffic as a normal weekend day. CNN.com’s average weekend traffic numbers for the last six weeks was 34 million.
CNN.com’s news web sites include international and US editions of CNN.com as well as six local language sites in Arabic, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. The web sites also support mobile services, including a PDA service on Avant Go and a breaking news SMS news alert service.
On air it will be interesting to note whether the shift in watching CNN, BBC and their ilk will affect drastically viewership for non news channels. Watch this space for further details.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
