News Broadcasting
DD to telecast 5 matches from Champions Trophy
NEW DELHI: It’s small comfort but some comfort for Sony Entertainment TV India. Talk in the trade that Nimbus Communications, which is doing the marketing of the ICC Champions Trophy cricket matches being telecast on DD, has opened talks with Prasar Bharati to increase the number of matches to be telecast on national broadcaster Doordarshan from the present five to eight or nine is not happening.
DD, as announced, will be telecasting five matches that include two pool matches featuring India, two semi finals and the final. The two India matches airing on DD will be telecast on 14 and 22 September.
A Nimbus source earlier said: “Prasar Bharati is talking to us to see if DD can telecast more than five matches even now. But both the parties did not want to take a chance on marketing which was to have been done at short notice and thought it best to stick to five matches which would definitely attract advertising.”
Discussions between Prasar Bharati and Nimbus apart, such a scenario would have further eroded the Sony’s negotiating capacity on both the advertising and distribution front.
Meanwhile, a sizeable number of cable viewers in Delhi and surrounding areas had to do without the opening match of the Champions Trophy being telecast live on SET MAX as multi-system operator Hathaway-Win’s feed for Sony channels has been cut off because of an on-going payment controversy. Hathway-Win services about 40 per cent of the Delhi and neighbourhood’s cable homes.
For Prasar Bharati, it is not only Doordarshan that will be providing live coverage of the event. All-India Radio (AIR) will broadcast live commentary of nine important matches.
The matches that will be broadcast live on the AIR Network are:
1. The opening match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan (Day / Night) on 12 September.
2. South Africa vs The West Indies (Day match) on 13 September.
3. India vs Zimbabwe (Day/Night) on 14 September.
4. Australia vs. New Zealand (Day match) on 15 September.
5. England vs. Zimbabwe (Day / Night) on 18 September.
6. India vs. England (Day /Night) on 22 September.
7. First Semi-Final (Day / Night) on 25 September.
8. Second Semi-Final (Day/Night) on 27 September.
9. Final (Day / Night) on 29 September.
The running commentary of the day matches begins at 9:20 am while that of day /night encounters at 1:50 pm. The Delhi Station of All India Radio will broadcast special radio reports in addition to the live coverage. The 12 participating teams have been divided into four pools of three teams each.
Pool 1: Australia, New Zealand, Bangla Desh.
Pool 2: India, Zimbabwe, England.
Pool 3: South Africa, West Indies, Kenya
Pool 4: Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Holland.
The toppers from each pool will clash in the semi-finals for a berth in the final. With the top players confirming their participation, the ICC Champions Trophy, is expected to deliver some engrossing cricket over the next fortnight.
‘A’ Team in place, SET safe on ad rates
Sony, Star switch off feeds in Delhi
Subrata, not Sahara logo for Indian team
News Broadcasting
UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
