News Broadcasting
DD and Ten Sports negotiate telecast fees for soccer World Cup
Ten Sports had announced earlier this week that it has the exclusive telecast rights of the FIFA World Cup and that state-owned broadcaster DD will be not be able to telecast the footer matches live terrestrially – a position that DD was taking stock of then.
Apparently, some progress has been made since then. The duo is believed to be negotiating the fee that Ten Sports will have to pay DD to telecast the World Cup on a deferred basis. The negotiations also involve the marketing of the World Cup telecast on DD by Ten Sports.
A senior Prasar Bharati official stated that the pubcaster was considering whether Ten Sports should be “charged prime time telecast fee or the normal telecast fee for the time band when the soccer matches are telecast.”
Keeping the time difference in mind, the soccer matches will, by and large, get to be telecast on DD around midnight, which way past prime time in India. DD’s prime time telecast fee is Rs 350,000 per 30 minutes with 120 seconds free commercial time (FCT), while non-prime time fees, specially those after 11 pm, come at a cheaper price at about Rs 50,000 per 30 minutes with 150 seconds of FCT.
The Prasar Bharati official also pointed out that DD has no other option but to telecast the soccer matches on a deferred basis as Ten Sports has claimed it has exclusive telecast rights for the India region.
Despite the telecast imbroglio, officials of Prasar Bharati, the corporation which oversees the working of DD and the All India Radio, feel that there would be viewership of the soccer matches on DD even on a deferred basis as Ten Sports’ penetration still leaves much to be desired.
For example, in most parts of Delhi and north India, Ten Sports, launched last month, is yet to make a signicant enough appearance in cable TV homes.
“If Ten Sports is willing to market the matches to be telecast on DD along with the live telecast it will have, we have no problems as long as the revenue sharing is adequately okay,” the official pointed out.
Ten Sports, which had won the global telecast rights for FIFA World Cup, had asked DD to provide only deferred transmission on its terrestrial network. Ten Sports had written to Prasar Bharati asking it not to air the Cup matches on the terrestrial network at the same time that Ten Sports airs the matches. They have also communicated that airing realtime is not possible as Ten Sports has the exclusive rights to air the matches for the India region.
News Broadcasting
News18 India launches Command Centre war explainer with Arya
New show shifts from debates to decoding global conflicts and impacts
MUMBAI: News18 India has rolled out a new war-focused programme, Command Centre, featuring Gaurav Arya, as it looks to offer viewers a sharper, more grounded take on global conflicts amid rising tensions in West Asia.
Positioned as an “insider war room”, the show moves away from conventional panel debates and instead focuses on explaining military developments, decoding strategy and connecting global events to their everyday impact, from fuel prices to economic shifts.
The format leans heavily on visuals and data. The studio has been designed like a command hub, complete with large LED war maps, real-time graphics and an alert system to track developments as they unfold.
At the centre of it all is Arya, who brings his military background to simplify complex war strategies for viewers. His signature line, “Seedhi baat samjhiye”, anchors the show’s promise of clarity over noise.
News18 India managing editor Jyoti Kamal said, “Command Centre, featuring Major Gaurav Arya is designed to deliver accurate insights and a clear perspective on how evolving conflicts impact everyday life, from household budgets to national security. With expert voices analysing every development in real time, the show goes beyond headlines to decode what’s happening now, what it means, and what could come next.”
Echoing the intent, Gaurav Arya added, “In times of war, confusion is the biggest threat. With News18 India’s Command Centre, we are bringing viewers inside the war room, decoding strategies, tracking every escalation, and explaining, in the simplest terms, what it means for India and for every household. Seedhi baat samjhiye, this is where you understand not just what is happening, but what happens next.”
The weekday show will air in the afternoon slot and will also feature Gaurav Shukla, adding to its editorial depth.
With its mix of analysis, visuals and a clear focus on impact, the show reflects a broader shift in news consumption. Viewers are no longer just watching events unfold, they are looking to understand what those events mean for them.
