News Broadcasting
News Corp affiliate in China under scanner: ‘WSJ’ report
MUMBAI: A News Corp affiliate in China is currently under investigation over its leasing of satellite television channels in the country, says a Wall Street Journal report.
The company, Beijing Rejian Hulian Advertisement Co, also known as Beijing Hotkey Internet, was set up by News Corp in 2000 to collect fees from satellite channel leasing and local cable operators, the paper said. In China, local cable operators are not permitted to broadcast foreign programming without government permission.
Chinese broadcast regulations insist that only high-end hotels and residential compounds can air foreign channels such as CNN and movie channel HBO. Then there was a 2002 ruling which said foreign channels must sell and transmit signals only through a Chinese state-run company, China International Television Corp.
The newspaper has quoted an official at the Beijing Industrial and Commercial Bureau’s Dongcheng district branch, which has jurisdiction over News Corp’s Beijing office, as saying, “Beijing Hotkey is under investigation to determine whether it leased satellite channels illegally.”
Under its arrangement with China International Television Corp, News Corp is committed to give the state-run Chinese company about 30 per cent of its profit from leasing its channels in China. Cable operators paying in yuan were asked to remit payment to Beijijng Hotkey, the paper said, quoting a former News Corp employee.
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.
