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Leading global intellectual Fareed Zakaria hails IPL innovation on JioCinema
Mumbai: Fareed Zakaria, the host of CNN’s show Fareed Zakaria GPS, recently visited India. He shared his observations from his trip with CNN-News18 managing editor Zakka Jacob. Speaking on India’s progress in the past few years, Zakaria hailed the digital revolution driven by Jio in the country.
Zakaria lauded India’s growth, singling out three key ongoing revolutions driving the country forward: AADHAR, Jio, and physical infrastructure capabilities.
Elaborating on the Jio revolution, he said, “Earlier, the number of Indians connected to the internet was astonishingly low because broadband fiber, laying of cable lines in India was very difficult. Jio completely leapfrogged this by connecting Indians to the internet via 4G and cheap smartphones at very low prices. And so, India went from 121st on data usage, to now being No.1 and it’s larger than No.2 China and No.3 USA put together.”
Commending Mukesh Ambani’s vision, ambition and execution, Zakaria added, “Jio is a 40 plus billion dollar bet, largest bet and largest investment ever made by an Indian private sector company and it paid off. If you look at the IPL numbers, they are extraordinary and the sophistication with which IPL is being transmitted – with 6 camera angles, 14 languages – is innovative by global standards.”
Zakaria hailed Jio as a shining example of India’s potential to lead the world in technology and innovation.
Jio’s free streaming of the TATA IPL 2023 has garnered a record-breaking number of views, while JioCinema has registered the highest number of app installations ever recorded.
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WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
