News Broadcasting
DD bags Commonwealth Games rights
NEW DELHI: The telecast rights of the Commonwealth Games 2006 have been bagged by pubcaster Prasar Bharati, beating competition from a pay TV operator that had quoted a higher fee for the rights of the India region.
The deal, signed after some tough negotiations between the organizers of the Games and Prasar Bharati (that manages Doordarshan and All India Radio), envisages the Indian pubcaster paying a rights fee of $ 400,000.
The agreement also provides for a 70:30 revenue share in favour of Prasar Bharati for ad revenues generated over the rights fee, the pubcaster said in a statement today.
Both the Games organizers and Prasar Bharati termed the agreement a win-win one for all parties concerned. The pubcaster claimed a high level team, led by its chief executive KS Sarma, concluded the deal with M2006, the entity that holds the world-wide rights for the Game.
Besides Prasar Bharati, another private sector pay TV operator had also bid for the rights quoting a price of over $ 700,000.
What tilted the balance in favour of Prasar Bharati was a set of media norms announced by the Indian government recently that stipulates all sporting events of national importance will have to be shared with the pubcaster on a mandatory basis even if private broadcasters hold the rights.
And, Commonwealth Games, which is to be held next in Delhi in 2010 afterMelbourne, certainly fell in the category of events of national importance for India.
However, Prasar Bharati claimed that the Games organizers preferred it over a pay TV operator as they wanted the events to reach out to the largest number of TV audiences in India. As the terrestrial broadcaster, DD lays claims to be reaching almost 90 per cent of the nearly 100 million TV homes in a country with over one billion population.
The event, which will be held in Melbourne from 15-26 March, 2006, will be broadcast live over Doordarshan’s terrestrial network — DD National — and its satellite channel, DD Sports. All India Radio will broadcast running commentary of important matches and events.
The 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games will feature 16 events, including athletics, swimming, gymnastics, shooting, weightlifting, hockey, badminton, table tennis, basketball, boxing and cycling, among others. More than 4,500 sporting personalities from 72 countries will take part in the 12-day event.
The 18th Commonwealth Games are touted as the biggest sporting event to be held in Melbourne, even bigger than the Olympics, which the Victorian city hosted in 1956.
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.
