News Broadcasting
Times Group taking up stake in IOL Broadband
MUMBAI: Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL), which is the holding company of the Times Group, is picking up a small stake in IOL Broadband for Rs 50 million.
IOL, which has a content delivery affiliation contract with MTNL for IPTV in Mumbai, will make a preferential allotment of 500,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each to BCCL. “We will be making the allotment to BCCL at around Rs 100 per share,” says IOL Broadband director Oberai.
IOL is also making a preferential allotment of 700,000 warrants to Maula Trading Company for Rs 70 million. “We will be in raising additional funds to expand our rollout. We plan to launch IPTV also in Bangalore with BSNL,” adds Oberai.
IOL Broadband has already signed an IPTV deal with the Star network and is offering 24 channels. “We are in talks with other broadcasters. We are offering video on demand (VoD) services and are planning to ramp up our movie library. We currently have rights for 50 movies,” says Oberai.
IOL is planning to increase the authorised share capital from Rs 500 million to Rs 70 million, divided into 70 million equity shares of Rs 10 each. The company also plans to increase the limit for foreign institutional investors to 49 per cent of its paid up equity share capital.
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.
