News Broadcasting
Viacom, DirecTV ink carriage deal
MUMBAI: MTV parent Viacom Inc and recent Rupert Murdoch acquisition DirecTV on Wednesday signed a deal that ensures continued carriage of all MTV Networks’ programme services currently carried by DirecTV.
The deal also provides for CBS analog broadcasts as well as CBS’ high-definition Super Bowl coverage and its HDTV lineup in owned-and-operated markets. DirecTV will also continue to carry UPN analog broadcasts. MTV Networks’ Nicktoons will be made available to viewers who subscribe to DirecTV’s Total Choice Plus package.
The affiliation agreement allows for Viacom’s MTV Networks services, including MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, TV Land, Spike TV, CMT, Noggin, VH1 Classic, MTV2 and Comedy Central as well as BET to continue to be available to DIRECTV subscribers nationwide, reports say.
Meanwhile, DirecTV on Wednesday also filed for permission with the Federal Communications Commission to move one of its satellites to an orbital slot controlled by Telesat Canada, a move that will allow it to offer US customers more local channels. The DirecTV 5 satellite would be moved into the Telesat-controlled orbital location of 72.5 degrees, once the DirecTV 7S satellite is launched later this quarter. This satellite will replace DirecTV 5 at 119 degrees, freeing up the latter to move to a new location. This will also allow DirecTV to expand local-into-local channel service to a minimum of 130 US markets by 2004 end, reports quote a company statement as saying.
The commitment for the expansion had been made to the FCC as part of the recent $6.78 billion acquisition by Murdoch’s News Corp, the reports add. The broadcaster, which boasts more than 12 million subscribers, has said that its aim was to begin the rollout of local-into-local service to the additional markets by early April 2004.
News Broadcasting
India Today Group sweeps top honours at Ramnath Goenka Awards
Journalists recognised for fearless investigative and civic reporting.
MUMBAI: India Today Group just turned the Ramnath Goenka Awards into its own trophy cabinet because when your reporters dig this deep, even the judges have to award a clean sweep. India Today Group journalists have secured multiple top honours at the latest edition of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, reinforcing the network’s legacy as the gold standard of Indian journalism. The awards were conferred by vice president C. P. Radhakrishnan at a ceremony held on 27 March 2026.
Sreya Chatterjee won in the ‘Investigative Reporting – Broadcast’ category for her powerful India Today TV report ‘Operation Illegals: The Alarming Rise in Bangladeshi Infiltration Across India’s Fragile Eastern Frontier’. The investigation stood out for its depth, on-ground rigour and national relevance.
In the ‘Civic Journalism – Print/Digital’ category, Sreya Chatterjee along with Arvind Ojha were honoured for their indiatoday.in report on unregulated water extraction and the ‘Tanker Mafia’ in Delhi’s Bawana Industrial Area. The story exposed critical systemic gaps and environmental challenges affecting daily life.
Additionally, aajtak.in was recognised in the ‘Investigative Reporting – Print/Digital’ category for its hard-hitting exposé ‘The Surrogate Mother Market’, which highlighted the human, legal and ethical dimensions of the surrogacy ecosystem.
India Today Group emerged as the only network honoured in Investigative Journalism across both Print/Digital and Broadcast categories. The wins reflect the strength of its multi-platform newsroom and its unwavering commitment to credible, high-impact reporting that informs public discourse and drives accountability.
In an era when speed often trumps substance, these awards remind us that the most powerful stories are still the ones dug out with courage, told with clarity, and delivered with conscience, one fearless byline at a time.
