News Broadcasting
Stock market gives Zee a thumb up
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Even as the 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange (BE) opened today, the Zee stock moved upward as much as 8.32 per cent after the network bagged the BCCI telecast rights. Over 33 lakh Zee shares were traded on the BSE.
People would continue to debate for some times to come whether the Indian stock exchanges-listed Zee Telefilms and its promoter Subhash Chandra did the right thing by committing a whopping over $308 million to acquire the telecast rights of Indian cricket for four years. But the market today reacted positively to Sunday’s development as Zee’s stock prices soared with sizeable profit-taking happening.
On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Zee Telefilms scrip closed Monday at Rs 161.60, signifying a gain of Rs 2.80 or 1.76 per cent. The stock’s previous closing figure was Rs 158.80. Similarly, on the National Stock Exchange, the scrip closed the day at Rs 161.65, up 1.86 per cent from the previous closing.
However, what is interesting is that the volume of trading on both the BSE (33,72,240) and the NSE (75,20,870) was certainly high. “Media bigwig Zee Telefilms has gained Rs 9 or 5.8 per cent at Rs 168 after the company bagged a four-year cricket telecast rights from BCCI at a revised bid of $308 million,” was how sharekhan.com, a financial markets portal, described the sentiments about the Zee scrip in its report on the start of the trading today.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Mumbai-based Suhash Naik, director, equity market, ING Investment Management, said that the reaction of the market shows that the Zee move has been taken as a “positive” one. He added that it also indicates that the market feels that if Sony has demonstrated that money could be made on cricket, Zee too can emulate it.
“The aggressiveness of ESPN Star Sports (which failed to get the rights from the cricket board) also demonstrates that it’s a lucrative deal (for Zee),” Naik said.
Though Naik refused to comment whether the Zee scrip would be northward bound in days to come or not, a Delhi-based stock broker was more enthusiastic when he said, “If Zee makes the right sort of noises; I don’t see why it should not be crossing the Rs 170 stage over the next 10 days.”
That the cricket acquisition was being viewed positively, by and large, was also exemplified by the fact that for a brief during the day, the Zee scrip did get quoted at a high of Rs 171.70 on the BSE, while the corresponding figure on the NSE was Rs 171.85.
An examination of how the Zee scrip did over the last two months makes for interesting viewing. On 15 July, Zee closed at Rs 125.85. Over the next 15 days there was heavy buying on the scrip and by 3 August, it had shot up to Rs 139.40. By Friday, 13 August (the day before the news broke on Saturday, 14 August that Zee was the highest bidder for the India rights); the Zee share had fallen again to Rs 131.40. After that it has been virtually all up so much so that over the past fortnight Zee’s market capitalisation had increased a whopping Rs 8.63 billion, markets analysts have pointed out.
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.
