News Broadcasting
Tara Marathi to shift uplinking to VSNL teleport in two weeks
MUMBAI: Tara Marathi, the channel from the Broadcast Worldwide bouquet, is moving its teleport to Mumbai in the next two weeks.
The channel, which is being managed by production house Eternal Dreams, will commence uplinking from the VSNL teleport in Mumbai, according to Eternal Dream COO Bonnie Jain. The channel is currently being uplinked from Bangkok on the Shin Satellite Network’s teleport. The move is aimed to coincide with the second phase of the channel’s relaunch in mid September, says Jain.
Tara Marathi, which has moved into the reckoning once again after being in the wilderness for nearly two years, had flagged off its relaunch in April this year with a distance education programme in cooking and baking. The success of the programme prompted the channel to launch the same show in Hindi during prime time, taking on soaps and comedies in that time band.
The second phase of relaunch will focus on a celebrity talk show, Lakshaat Theva to be anchored by well known comedian Laxmikant Berde, who makes his television debut with the programme, says Jain. The other shows launched by Tara earlier this year, Atmakatha (biographical sketches of celebrities) and Abhimaan Maharashtracha (focusing on young Maharahtrian achievers) and Chehre (interviews conducted by well known photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha) are also scheduled for a revamp during the second phase.
The channel is likely to remain off air for the duration the uplinking transition from Bangkok to Mumbai takes place. According to Jain, Tara Marathi, along with ESPN, was the only channel to uplink through a server, he said.
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.
