News Broadcasting
Murdoch’s Foxtel Digital to make Oz launch on 14 March
MUMBAI: Foxtel’s new digital service will officially launch on 14 March in Australia.
Without going in for a new TV, the new service’s subscribers will be able to get the necessary in-home receiving technology which will include a new digital set-top-unit and remote control as part of the service. Foxtel Digital will deliver cable and satellite subscribers enhanced viewing through a range of more than 130 channels, interactive services and expanded viewing options, all with DVD quality pictures and CD quality sound.
The package will cost $48.95, the same price as the existing satellite basic service, and will feature 66 channels including access to Sports Active on Fox Sports and Fox Footy Channels, Sky News Actives eight-screen interactive news service, the Foxtel Digital Guide and 30 audio channels.
The service package includes ten movie services (including Foxtel Box Office), 27 Foxtel Box Office channels, eight sports channels (including the Main Event channel featuring pay-perview boxing, wrestling and special events), five kids channels, seven news channels, six music video channels and 30 audio music channels, eleven documentary channels, eight lifestyle channels, 14 general entertainment channels, three adult services including pay-per-view channels, two foreign language channels with more to follow very soon, two games channels (with 10 separate and regularly changing games) and one Digital Help Channel and one Foxtel Box Office pre-view channel.
Also new to the service 30 digital-quality stereo audio channels that cater to all music tastes and signature channels such as Caf, Rock, Groove, Dance, Blues, Home Grown, Todays Country, Soul, New Wave and Easy. It will also feature ten TimeShift channels that have been selected based on their popularity with subscribers. TimeShifts broadcast a single service on two different channels with a two-hour time difference doubling subscribers viewing choices and providing further opportunities to view favourite programmes.
The key features of the new service include an electronic programme guide that allows subscribers to intuitively and easily navigate and plan viewing through Foxtel Digitals expanded range of choice, a 24-hour-day near-video-on-demand service screening a range of blockbuster movie titles each starting every 15-30 minutes, an interactive service allowing viewers to control and choose the news they want to view from eight live video and five live text screens, an interactive sports application which enables viewers to select multiple camera angles and match replays together with game statistics, player profiles and even different audio feeds on special selected sports broadcasts, Foxtel Gamesworld, offering subscribers two games channels and 10 different games with easy to play titles and games that test the mind.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
