News Broadcasting
Max and Aaj Tak in special tie-up for Videocon Cup
MUMBAI: The scene is abuzz with the cricket fever building up as the Videocon Cup rolls out on 21 August. Maxing on the opportunity, Sony Entertainment’s movies and special events channel Max (which will air the tournament) has entered a strategic alliance with Aaj Tak for the same.
As per the deal, during the four days of the tournament which will be played in Holland, Aaj Tak will have a special section on their cricket based show – Runbhoomi which will air at 1 pm; wherein Max’s commentators like Charu Sharma, Mandira Bedi, Arun Lal, Barry Richards, Rameez Raja, Michael Slater and Sanjay Manjrekar will come on the show in an exclusive interview with the Aaj Tak anchor. On Aaj Tak the special guests on Runbhoomi will include Sourav Ganguly, Arun Lal, Saba Karim, Yashpal Sharma and Madan Lal. When the show will be towards completion (i.e. 1:30 pm, which is also the time the matches start on Max); the Aaj Tak anchor will ask viewers to log on to Max to catch the match live.
Speaking about the same, Max vice-president marketing and commercial Tushar Shah said, “This marks the beginning of a new era in marketing in the television domain. Max is known for innovation, creativity and attitude, and this tie-up is an example of all three are coming together to create a win-win situation for both Aaj Tak and Max.”
Also notable is the fact that some time back, Aaj Tak had tied up with sister channel SET for their show Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahi wherein Jassi gave an exclusive interview to Aaj Tak and also for Saaksshi wherein during a scene in the serial, an Aaj Tak reporter was shown and also the protagonist of the show was shown watching some ‘breaking news’ on Aaj Tak. So while SET already had a working relationship with the Aroon Purie owned news channel, this tie up with Max for the Videocon Cup doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
Speaking on the same, Aaj Tak senior manager marketing Rajesh Sheshadri said, “Cricket rules the hearts of millions of Indians. This association is in line with our objective of providing value-added programming to our viewers.”
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.
