News Broadcasting
European Parliament backs new TV ad rules
MUMBAI: The European parliament has backed the proposals to overhaul the 1989 Television without Frontiers Directive, last updated in 1997 and which has failed to keep pace with the rapid changes in the audiovisual sector.
The new rules will be renamed to the audiovisual media services directive to reflect the changes in the marketplace over the last ten years.
The Parliament stated that product placement should soon be legal across the EU, subject to some conditions. Films, TV series, sports programmes and entertainment will be allowed to carry product placement advertising, providing viewers are warned in advance and at least once every 20 minutes.
News, current affairs programmes, documentaries and children’s TV programmes will not be allowed to carry product placements. Product placement for tobacco products will not be allowed.
Parliament also agreed to allow breaks for commercials in movies and some other TV programs every 30 minutes, and not, as the Commission had proposed, every 35 minutes, or the Culture Committee, with 45 minutes.
Centre-left spokesman Henri Weber said, “While the use of product placement will be limited, parliament has relaxed the rules on advertising.”
MEPs mentioned that such broadcasts could only be blocked if they were fully justified for reasons of public policy, including the protection of minors or public security or public health or the protection of cultural diversity.
They also drew up a list of criteria that national governments must fulfil to justify any such measures, and stipulated that the European commission should have the final say on whether programmes could justifiably be blocked.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
