News Broadcasting
SC stumps DD’s lunch break ‘Fourth Umpire’
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court bowled another googly today that has stumped pubcaster Prasar Bharati.
On a petition by Ten Sports, which is the exclusive rights holder for Pakistan cricket, the apex court today directed the Prasar Bharati-managed Doordarshan to stop putting up its own cricket programming during lunch break off the ongoing India-Pakistan one-day series.
Directing DD to carry a “uninterrupted feed” from Ten Sports, Justices Ashok Bhan and Arun Kumar said that DD cannot insert its own cricket programmes in between matches.
Ten Sports had complained to the court that Prasar Bharati was violating the 30 January order directing the public broadcaster to carry the “uninterrupted feed” from beginning to the end.
DD had mounted the Fourth Umpire analysis programme during the lunch break, while Ten has insisted that it should carry its Straight Drive.
Contacted by Indiantelevision.com today, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said, “It’s not straight, but we will have to take off DD’s Fourth Umpire during lunch breaks for (Ten Sport’s) Straight Drive.” However DD, according to Sarma, can have the Fourth Umpire before and after each one-day match.
Appearing for Prasar Bharati, Solicitor General GE Vahanvati submitted that Doordarshan was carrying the uninterrupted feed and its programme Fourth Empire was aired during the lunch break when there was no live coverage of the match, which did not cut any ice with the judges.
CRICKET, TENNIS, CHESS IN NOTIFIED LIST
Meanwhile, according to reports available, cricket, tennis and chess have been included in the list of sports that are of national importance by the government as part of the downlink norms, which make it mandatory for private broadcasters to share with DD on a mandatory basis listed sports.
League hockey matches are not part of the listed events, but finals of tournaments where India is playing must be shared. F1 races, which had been demanded by DD to be included as part of the listed events, did not find a place.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 to spotlight India’s global rise
PM Modi keynotes two-day event on 27–28 February in New Delhi with ministers, diplomats and icons.
MUMBAI: India’s rise isn’t just making headlines, it’s headlining its own summit, and this time the guest list reads like a global power playlist. News18 Network will host the Rising Bharat Summit 2026, a high-powered thought-leadership forum anchored around the theme “Spotlighting Bharat’s Rise: Driven by Strength Within.” The two-day event kicks off on 27 February 2026 at 10:00 AM in New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, diplomats, business leaders, strategists, innovators, and cultural icons for conversations that aim to define India’s confident, self-assured role on the world stage.
Prime minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address, setting the tone for discussions on economic momentum, geopolitical positioning, and long-term aspirations for the decade ahead.
The ministerial lineup includes Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry), Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & IT), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (Communications & Development of North Eastern Region), and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta.
Global diplomacy and strategic voices feature former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo, ex-UK Chief of defence staff general Sir Nick Carter, former US commerce secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, and ambassadors from Norway (May-Elin Stener), Germany (Philipp Ackermann), and Sweden (Jan Thesleff).
Industry, innovation, and economic perspectives come from veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems Founder & CEO Dr Vishal Sikka, and Deeptech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
Defence, technology, and thought leadership include Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar, Apple expert Patrick McGee, military aviation historian Tom Cooper, and defence scholar Adrian Fontanellaz.
Culture, sports, and popular influence bring actor-MP Kangana Ranaut, Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and PR Sreejesh, cricketers Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mithali Raj, plus film stars Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
Broadcast live across News18 Network channels, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, and streaming platforms from 10:00 am on both days, the summit aims to move beyond headlines and shape deeper narratives around policy, leadership, and innovation at a decisive moment for India’s global trajectory.
In a world watching Bharat’s next moves, this gathering isn’t just talk, it’s the opening scene of a story that’s already rewriting the script.
