News Broadcasting
Warner’s Intl TV department signs VOD deal with Germany’s T-Online
MUMBAI: Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITV) has signed a multi-year deal to provide content to media firm T-Online for its broadband Video On Demand (VOD) service in Germany.
From this month a number of Warner Bros. Studio’s most popular films will be available on T-Online’s broadband VOD service (www.vod.t-online.de). These will include the Harry Potter films, The Matrix trilogy, Ocean’s Twelve and The Polar Express as well as classic library titles, including Gone with the Wind. New Releases will become available to T-Online concurrent with their pay-per-view window. T-Online also plans to add at least 100 library titles each year to the service.
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution president Jeffrey Schlesinger says, “We are excited to be in business with T-Online, a leader in the VOD arena in Germany, and especially pleased with the level of copyright protection this deal includes. This agreement incorporates a number of anti-piracy measures and procedures that reflect Warner Bros. and T-Online’s cooperation in and commitment to actively deal with online piracy while offering consumers an attractive, affordable and legitimate alternative to illegal p2p file sharing.”
T-Online head of product marketing and content sourcing Peter Kurchkoff says, “We have worked very systematically for many months to reach an agreement with Warner Bros. International Television. We have succeeded in achieving this and are proud to now have six of the eight Hollywood major studios under contract, thus enabling us to offer our customers a unique film selection.”
This deal represents WBITV’s continuing expansion into broadband VOD, joining the company’s recent VOD agreements with Telecom Italia for programming via its Rosso Alice portal in Italy and the Nordic service SF Anytime with subscribers in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.
News Broadcasting
News18 India launches Command Centre war explainer with Arya
New show shifts from debates to decoding global conflicts and impacts
MUMBAI: News18 India has rolled out a new war-focused programme, Command Centre, featuring Gaurav Arya, as it looks to offer viewers a sharper, more grounded take on global conflicts amid rising tensions in West Asia.
Positioned as an “insider war room”, the show moves away from conventional panel debates and instead focuses on explaining military developments, decoding strategy and connecting global events to their everyday impact, from fuel prices to economic shifts.
The format leans heavily on visuals and data. The studio has been designed like a command hub, complete with large LED war maps, real-time graphics and an alert system to track developments as they unfold.
At the centre of it all is Arya, who brings his military background to simplify complex war strategies for viewers. His signature line, “Seedhi baat samjhiye”, anchors the show’s promise of clarity over noise.
News18 India managing editor Jyoti Kamal said, “Command Centre, featuring Major Gaurav Arya is designed to deliver accurate insights and a clear perspective on how evolving conflicts impact everyday life, from household budgets to national security. With expert voices analysing every development in real time, the show goes beyond headlines to decode what’s happening now, what it means, and what could come next.”
Echoing the intent, Gaurav Arya added, “In times of war, confusion is the biggest threat. With News18 India’s Command Centre, we are bringing viewers inside the war room, decoding strategies, tracking every escalation, and explaining, in the simplest terms, what it means for India and for every household. Seedhi baat samjhiye, this is where you understand not just what is happening, but what happens next.”
The weekday show will air in the afternoon slot and will also feature Gaurav Shukla, adding to its editorial depth.
With its mix of analysis, visuals and a clear focus on impact, the show reflects a broader shift in news consumption. Viewers are no longer just watching events unfold, they are looking to understand what those events mean for them.
