News Broadcasting
Government looks set to ease up on DTH restrictions
The winds of DTH they are a blowin? Last week indiantelevision.com had reported that news emanating from Delhi indicated that that Star India had applied for a DTH licence through a company called Space TV.
The fact that Star India was indeed thinking of such an initiative was an indicator that the government may be backtracking on its tough stance on controls to DTH broadcast in India, was the surmise. Now, according to a report in a leading business daily, the government is considering just that. The government is reportedly weighing a proposal to remove the entry fee and bank guarantee totalling Rs 500 million as well as scaling down the 10 per cent revenue share agreement in its Ku band direct-to-home (DTH) television policy.
As per the present guidelines, companies applying for a DTH licence are required to pay an entry fee of Rs 100 million and a bank guarantee of Rs 400 million for 10-year licence period.
The report however, indicates that the government still has to ease up on what is seen as the key stumbling block to DTH take-off in India – the 20 per cent foreign direct investment equity cap in Indian DTH ventures. DTH wannabes are hoping that the FDI bar will be raised at least to 49 per cent and there is an easing up on “other anomalies” in the DTH policy announced last year like cross media restrictions.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
