News Broadcasting
ESPN bungs in more centres for School Quiz 2001
The ESPN School Quiz 2001 kicked off in Mumbai last Thursday at the Shanmukhananda Hall in central Mumbai with over 3,000 schoolchildren from 150 schools in and around the city participating for a chance to get onto the national level competition which will go on air later this year.
This year, ESPN is targeting 23 centres to hold on-ground events across India. ESPN will be holding on-ground mega-events at six centers, namely Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta and Hyderabad. The on-ground school quiz events will be hosted by Charu Sharma. In addition written tests will be held across 17 centers to cover a much wider geographical spread.
Hosted by popular presenter Harsha Bhogle, the ESPN School Quiz 2001 will invite 108 schools from all over India to participate in the on-air quiz programme. These schools will be selected from over 1000 schools which are expected to participate in the ‘qualifying on-ground sports quiz events.
The ‘All India’ winners of the ESPN School Quiz 2001 will receive, in total Rs 850,000, which will be spent for developing sports facilities at their school. Manu Sawhney, managing director of ESPN Software India, said whatever money was won would have to be spent by the school for sports development. ESPN would also look into the implementation of the prize money through follow-up visits to the school, Sawhney said. The individual team members along with their teacher will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be flown to a major international sporting event of their choice – European Cup finals, Wimbledon, Formula 1, Cricket or NBA – that is featured on ESPN, a company release says.
The show has five main sponsors with Milo as the presenting sponsor and Nike as the on ground sponsor. Camlin and Hero Cycles are the associate sponsors of the quiz.
Sawhney said the event was really growing at a fast clip and would have 23 centres up from 16 last year.
Aditya Sharma and Ishan Wagaskar representing the Rajhans Vidyalaya in the western suburbs of Andheri emerged winners in the first on-ground event of the sports quiz. Others schools which qualified for the national on-air quiz include St Mary’s High School, Mazgaon, Bombay Scottish School, Campion High School, Modern English School, Chembur, and Chembur English High School.
Manu Sawhney, Managing Director of ESPN Software India Ltd. said: ‘We at ESPN STAR Sports are committed to promoting sporting excellence in India and ‘ESPN School Quiz 2001′ further exemplifies our efforts in this direction. The national sports quiz provides a platform for the participants to represent their school in this forum, and bring pride and glory to their institution. ESPN is known for building brand equity with their viewers, and through this quiz we take a step further to strengthen this relationship.’
Apart from the winner’s Grand prize of RS 500,000, other prizes on offer are:
* RS 200,000 per team for national semi final winners.
* RS 100,000 per team for zonal final winners.
* RS 50,000 per team for Zonal semi final winners
* ESPN Milo gift pack for all first round winners.
All participants will get ESPN certificates of excellence, School Quiz Olympiad badges and T-shirts. This year, the sports quiz will be extended on the espnstar.com website and viewers can participate in the on-line version of the sports quiz at their convenience, the release says.
‘Sports Quiz offers an opportunity for our younger audiences to experience the sports brands on-ground, on-line, on-air and off-air. It also offers a phenomenal opportunity for our sponsors and advertisers to target the millions of school children around the country,’ said Sawhney.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
