News Broadcasting
Govt. not to alter existing FDI norms for media sector
NEW DELHI: The present government will not roll back any foreign investment norms in the media sector, including those changes brought about by the previous Bharatiya Janata party-led government.
Asked whether the present government is contemplating revisiting certain media guidelines, especially in the light of the International Herald Tribune case, a senior information and broadcasting ministry official said, “Why should we revisit (media) rules and guidelines?”
Allaying fears on investment norms in the media sector becoming more stringent, the official said there was no need for that. “After all, those norms (like 26 per cent foreign investment being allowed in the print medium) have been debated. There would be no rollback.”
However, the official added that the government also would not rush into accepting or introducing new norms for those sectors where foreign investments are not allowed in the media. This was said in relation to a query on whether the government would allow foreign investment in private FM radio ventures too.
Meanwhile, the official clarified that neither I&B minister Jaipal
Reddy nor the ministry has any proposal to levy a cess on radio and TV sets sold in the country to generate additional funds for pubcasters, Doordarshan and All India Radio.
“What the minister said was that amongst the many options that are there to increase revenue for the pubcaster, cess is one of them. Such academic discussions do not mean that the government would actually go ahead and do it, though in the UK, BBC is partly like this,” the official elaborated.
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.
