News Broadcasting
Scientific-Atlanta announces ITV launch milestone
Scientific-Atlanta has announced that over 30 per cent of the MSO systems using its digital platform and interactive set-tops are carrying some form of interactive television (ITV) services available to millions of potential subscribers.
They run the gamut from video-on-demand to email, Internet access, enhanced viewing and t-commerce applications. Cable operators are deploying Scientific-Atlanta networks and Explorer digital interactive set-tops to provide subscribers with compelling interactive content to reduce churn and increase revenue, claims the company.
Adding to the pool of interactive TV applications cable operators have to choose from, Scientific-Atlanta also announced that InformTV has joined its CreativEdge Developer Program and is working to obtain certification of its new application, InformTV Sports 1.0. As a member of the CreativEdge Developer Program, the company will receive ongoing development support and testing and integration services throughout the application development process from Scientific-Atlanta.
The application, which InformTV expects to be available during the first quarter of 2002, complements existing broadcast programming by making sports scores, statistics and information available on every cable channel, completely independent of broadcast video content.
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.
