News Broadcasting
Freeview digital service to launch 30 free channe
UNITED KINGDOM : Freeview, the new digital service supported by BBC and Sky will be launched at the end of this month with 30 free channels.
Three-quarters of the country will be able to receive the newly boosted signal from 30 October 2002, says a report in The Guardian. Half of all households will be able to get the service through existing rooftop aerials; a further 25 per cent will require modifications that could cost around 100; the remaining 25 per cent will not be able to receive it until the analogue television service is switched off, it adds.
BBC’s Director of marketing, Andy Duncan believes that the service would be a “fresh start” for digital terrestrial television – multi-channel TV through an aerial, which was marred by collapse of the debt-ridden ITV Digital earlier this year. According to the report the technical problems that dogged ITV Digital have been addressed , number of channels reduced and the signal boosted.
The Freeview consortium – the BBC, Sky and the transmitter company Crown Castle, will launch a 5 million marketing campaign, to win over the cynics . The BBC is also using the launch of Freeview to mount its biggest on-screen promotion for its digital services, asserts the report.
The service which will carry all eight BBC’s services, including BBC3 and BBC4, two children’s channels and BBC News 24, would be easy to understand, says Duncan. BSkyB will provide Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Travel. There will be two music channels: one from the Emap media company, and another from MTV, confirms the report.
Negotiations are still under way to fill the remaining slot on the service: one possibility includes a deal with Turner Broadcasting to transmit CNN’s news service at breakfast time, children’s programmes from Boomerang during the day, and Turner Classic Movies in the evenings, says the report.
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.
