News Broadcasting
Ten Sports ready and waiting to unveil Morocco tri-nations cricket tourney
MUMBAI: After the Fifa World Cup what next has been what the naysayers have been harping on when it comes to new kid on the block Ten Sports. Well, big ticket cricket is what the new sports broadcaster that is promoted by Sharjah cricket’s Abdur Rahman Bukhatir has lined up.
All is set and ready for the kick-off of the first international tournament to be held in Morocco’s multi-million dollar Tangier Cricket Stadium. Taking place between 12 and 21 August, the tri-nations cricket tourney will have Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka participating.
The $ 25-million Tangier Cricket Stadium in northern Morocco with five pitches and another seven in the practice area will provide a striking oasis-like setting amidst the dry, desert backdrop of the African environment. What makes this event all the more unique is that it will be the first major tournament to be held there after it was granted international status by the ICC.
The Tangier Cricket Stadium The stadium met the relevant cricketing admission criteria following an inspection of the ground, facilities and infrastructure and has been audited by the ICC Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) against stringent security standards and protocols.
When the matches are in progress it will be Kingston inmedia, the satellite-centric broadband solutions provider of Kingston Communications (KCOM.L) that will be delivering content to Taj TV, the parent company of Ten Sports.
What is planned is that one of Kingston inmedia’s satellite news-gathering (SNG) Trucks will be driven down to Tangier from London to cover the duration of the series. It will deliver the signal to Taj TV’s base in Dubai, from where Ten Sports will broadcast the tournament throughout the Indian subcontinent.
Mike Walsh, head of sales for Kingston inmedia K-Links division, was quoted as saying in an official release: “Kingston inmedia is thrilled to be working with Taj TV in distributing this very special sporting event. It’s the first time that a high-level international cricket tournament has been held in Morocco, and proves once again how incredibly flexible our SNG fleet can be.”
Fred Clow, director of operations for outside broadcasts, Taj TV, said: “We selected Kingston inmedia based on the company’s reputation for providing an ultra fast, ultra reliable service. We know the Kingston team can deliver the goods, and we are delighted that their high standards mirror our own.”
Bukhatir’s Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), the Sharjah-based organisation that put Sharjah on the international cricket map, will be handling the organisation of all tournaments hosted at the Tangier Cricket Stadium. With total prize money of $250,000 and $120,000 for the winning team in this tournament, Tangier could soon outshine Sharjah as a venue for offshore cricket.
Morocco is very close to Europe and can be easily accessed from the Gulf. It has a pleasant Mediterranean climate and is cool during the subcontinental summer. During the monsoons, when it is difficult to hold sporting events in India, Morocco has only mild rain.
Morocco has also been proposed as a potential venue for Australia’s series against Pakistan in September, due to the security concerns following the suicide bombing in Karachi recently that killed 14 people.
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.
