News Broadcasting
Sky News gets 15-year commitment from Disney in takeover battle
MUMBAI: Disney has refrained from selling Sky News without the U.K government’s permission and offered British authorities a commitment to operate Sky News for 15 years. For its part, 21st Century Fox has offered new commitments in an attempt to get its $15 billion bid for Sky over the finish line, including a promise to fund Sky News for 15 years, five more than it had previously offered.
British culture secretary Matt Hancock said, “In my view, these revised undertakings [commitments] meet the criteria that I set out to the House [of Commons] on 5 June and will help to ensure that Sky News remains financially viable over the long term; is able to operate as a major U.K.-based news provider; and is able to take its editorial decisions independently, free from any potential outside influence”,in a statement.
Under the proposed plans, Sky News would receive guaranteed funding of £100 million ($132 million) a year.
The British government set out its agreement on Tuesday with Disney and 21st Century Fox over Sky, if Fox’s bid to take over Sky succeeds. The agreement focuses on how Sky plans to divest Sky News, and the assurances necessary for the news channel’s long-term viability and editorial independence.
Fox, which is already Sky’s biggest shareholder with a 39.1 per cent stake, first tabled a proposal in December 2016 to buy the remainder of the broadcaster for £11.7bn in a deal valuing the whole of Sky at £18.5bn.
Fox had already agreed to meet the British competition watchdog’s proposed remedies by the time Hancock spoke to Parliament earlier this month and made offloading Sky News a condition to the Fox bid gaining approval.
Hancock has now opened a consultation. That ends on July 4 and at that point he is expected to make a final decision.
Opposition to the Fox bid remains fierce in the U.K. Lobby group Avaaz has been a vocal opponent and was in the High Court in London on Tuesday seeking to persuade a judge that media regulator Ofcom’s June 2017 decision that Fox and the Murdoch family would be fit and proper owners of all of Sky was flawed.
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.
