News Broadcasting
Eutelsat boosts DTH service in Europe
PARIS: Eutelsat, one of the worlds leading satellite operators has brought new capacity into service for broadband Internet access and direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television broadcasting in western and central Europe. The company is delivering services at 33 degrees East through the EUROBIRD 2 satellite (formerly HOT BIRD 5).
EUROBIRD 2 is a Ku-band satellite with a high-power Superbeam coverage that is focussed on western and central Europe, stretching from the British Isles and southern Scandinavia in the north, to Spain, Italy and Greece in the south, and across to Poland and Hungary in the east. The satellites proximity to EUROBIRD 1 at 28.5 degrees East that serves six million digital satellite homes in the UK opens new synergies for Internet Service Providers and broadcasters. With a standard dual-feed installation all households already equipped to receive EUROBIRD 1 will be able to access broadband Internet services simultaneously direct from EUROBIRD 2.
Underscoring Eutelsats objective to deploy services and technologies that facilitate satellite access to a broad range of users, EUROBIRD 2 is also equipped with a SKYPLEX payload. SKYPLEX enables digital television and data broadcasters to uplink individually from the rooftops of their premises and to be directly received by DVB terminals, thereby bypassing the need to deliver signals to an on-ground multiplex through a contribution link. Eutelsats unique on-board multiplexing SKYPLEX technology at its HOT BIRD position has already facilitated access to direct satellite broadcasting for a range of thematic, regional and local channels as well as data broadcasters.
Through a configuration of narrowband and wideband transponders, EUROBIRD 2 is particularly well suited for one-way and two-way broadband services for consumer, SOHO and SME markets. Customers already signed up to use EUROBIRD 2 include Everywhere! Broadband, a UK-based Internet Service Provider. Everywhere! Broadband recently announced its plans to launch a new satellite broadband service for UK consumers using Eutelsats OPENSKY platform. By the end of this year it will be offering consumers access to a wide range of streamed video and audio content, highspeed Internet and fast file delivery.
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.
