News Broadcasting
HBO to premiere ‘Band Of Brothers’ by year-end in Asia
HBO, Asia's leading entertainment provider, has announced plans to premiere the new epic ten-part miniseries Band of Brothers in late 2001. This new $120 million miniseries is the most expensive original production by HBO to-date.
Based on Stephen Ambrose's nonfiction bestseller about a World War II US Army unit, the miniseries is slated to debut in Asia, exclusively on HBO, in the latter part of 2001.
Band of Brothers is produced by Band Of Brothers Ltd. on behalf of the Playtone Company and DreamWorks SKG. Tom Hanks (executive producer of the Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon) and Steven Spielberg serve as executive producers. Tony To (co-executive producer of From the Earth to the Moon) is co-executive-producer.
"Band is the kind of exciting quality programme that makes HBO a unique provider of entertainment. Combining an epic, heroic story with the production talents of Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and HBO, it is sure to result in a stunning treat for HBO viewers. This is another part of our ongoing efforts to bring "the best" to our subscribers in Asia. We are very excited about this programme," said Dan Murrell, president and CEO, HBO Asia.
Band Of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, US Army. Starting with their rigorous training in Georgia in 1942, it recounts the achievements of the elite rifle company, which parachuted into France early on D-Day morning, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and captured Hilter's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Drawn from hours of interviews with survivors, as well as soldiers' journals and letters, Band Of Brothers chronicles a unit that became true American heroes.
As a kick-off, HBO premiered screening of the first two parts of 'Band Of Brothers' on Wednesday 6 June, the anniversary of D-Day, on the grounds of the Utah Beach Memorial in Normandy, France.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
