News Broadcasting
Thaicom, VSNL in joint broadcasting platform deal
NONTHABURI (Thailand): Recently privatised international telecommunication operator Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) and Thailand’s Shin Satellite have signed a contract to provide premium satellite television transmission services to the Indian market.
VSNL plans to transmit more than 30 television channels on Thaicom and will jointly uplink satellite TV transmissions using VSNL’s uplink facilities in Mumbai and Delhi using Shin Satellite’s Thaicom 3 satellite, an official release says. The satellite, widely acknowledged as a “hotbird” in India due to the vast number of satellite dishes currently pointed at it, will act as a platform to provide a plethora of services for the Indian market. This arrangement is in line with the India government’s plans to make mandatory the uplinking of Indian indigenous channels from Indian soil, the release says.
Shin Satellite and VSNL plan to support each other by taking advantage of their current strengths in the highly competitive Indian market. VSNL has one of the biggest operations base in India while Shin Satellite has the largest customer base of any foreign satellite in the country and is able to offer a highly effective and competitive service.
Shin Satellite now serves over 30 independent Indian television channels and 10 major Internet service providers. It is the major provider of satellite capacity to the government of India through contracts with the Department of Space. According to the release, the partnership with VSNL is a strategic move for Shin Satellite as it plans to expand services dramatically over the next few years.
For iPSTAR, meanwhile, VSNL is slated to work with Shin Satellite in the operation of an iPSTAR gateway to provide broadband Internet services.
Yongsit Rojsrivichaikul, vice-president of Shin Satellite was quoted in the release as saying: “We are honoured to have VSNL as our partner in India. The Indian market has tremendous potential and we also have large existing customer base, therefore, we require a capable and credible partner, contributing local expertise and business strengths. By cooperating with VSNL, we are confident that we can further expand our business substantially and strengthen our market position in India.”
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
