News Broadcasting
Star Plus changes 8 pm tactic; brings in sci-fi series ‘Antariksh’
MUMBAI: Hindi general entertainment space will soon witness an interesting contest between soap operas and a sci-fi series, as Star Plus has announced the launch its first ever sci-fi series Antariksh.
The show, scheduled to launch on 2 October, has been positioned in the crucial Monday – Thursday 8 pm slot.
Produced by the duo of Ashim Samanta and Jyotin Goel from Wild Fire Entertainment, the concept of the show is designed to interest the younger viewers on the prime-time band. Antariksh, which is set in a modern jet-set atmosphere, will draw its inspiration from the Indian mythology of Ramayana, as the story’s basic premise is that of a war between good versus evil, as per an official release.
States Star India EVP Deepak Segal, “Aimed at our younger viewers, Antariksh, is a revolutionary mix of utopian vision of justice and prosperity, which we are launching exclusively in the weekday prime-time band, for our younger viewers. It’s a story full of new-age imagination that will see the use of hi-fi gadgets, which is sure to create a cult amongst them.”
“With our already established, unmatched leadership in this genre, we are hopeful this show of space-age heroism will prove to be a treat for all the sci-fans, and consequently help us in further consolidating the prime-time slot on the channel,” Segal adds.
Antariksh will be an action tale, of fictitious and imaginative characters living in space. This animated drama will be packaged with intense creativity coupled with heavy-duty computer generated graphics and illustrations, by Jyoti Sagar from Sagar Arts Productions and Prasad Ajgaonkar from Interactive Realities Ltd, the release claims.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
