News Broadcasting
Net broadband connections increase 27 per cent in US
MUMBAI: Nielsen//NetRatings, the global standard for Internet audience measurement and analysis has reported that 49.5 million, or 38 per cent of all US home Internet users now connect to the Internet through broadband.
Broadband users grew by 27 per cent, adding more than 10 million to their ranks from May till November 2003. During the same six-month period, narrowband usage remained flat at 69.6 million. Nielsen//NetRatings analysis director Marc Ryan adds, ” The increase in broadband connections indicates that users are seeking ways to improve their Internet experience. Moving to a high speed connection opens the door to a number of new content possibilities, driving further evolution of the Internet and facilitating bandwidth-intensive applications like digital music downloading.”
The report notes that the increased number of broadband connections is spurring the use of rich media, including on-demand video and flash based content in the realm of advertising. In November 17 per cent of all online advertising impressions were rich media ads. This represented a jump of 10 percentage points from November 2002. Non-rich media ads decreased 10 percentage points from a 93 per cent share in November 2002 to 83 per cent in November 2003.
Ryan says, “Broadband enables both content providers and online advertisers to create more rich media based content. This rich media based content leverages the power of television as a medium and brings it to the Internet, offering Internet users a ‘best of both worlds’ experience.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
