News Broadcasting
WorldSpace teams with global content leaders to deliver sports channel ‘Play’
MUMBAI: — WorldSpace, Inc., the satellite-based digital radio services has designs on all-sports satellite radio channel, Play.
WorldSpace has teamed with global content providers, including BBC World Service, TWI, and Radio Mid-Day – Go 92.5 FM. to deliver the sports channel Play.
Debuting on the WorldSpace satellite radio network on 5 December, Play will be the only channel to offer all sports, all the time with both a local perspective and a global reach for the entire subcontinent of India.
Play will feature comprehensive cricket coverage as well as coverage of sports like Formula One racing, tennis, rugby, football, hockey and golf.
Programming will include news, live call-in shows with Indian sports experts and sports information such as top-of-the hour reports, celebrity appearances and ‘sports desk’ programmes.
Radio Mid-Day station head Shariq Patel said, “We are pleased that WorldSpace recognized the importance of teaming with an Indian media company to realize its goals for Play.”
“Radio Mid-Day is the ideal organization to deliver the local perspective on cricket and other sports like football, tennis and F1 racing to WorldSpace’s growing subscriber base. Working together, WorldSpace and Radio Mid-Day can deliver what the sports news subscribers in India want, when they want it, ” adds Patel.
WorldSpace vice president of global content Billy Sabatin said, “By incorporating the best available content from local and global providers, we are creating a truly new and compelling sports experience for our Indian subscribers. We are thrilled to be working with the BBC, TWI and Radio Mid-Day to make our sports vision a reality in our primary market.”
Content providers were selected based on their collective ability to deliver the right mix of original and archival programming, sports personalities and on-the- ground network of production talent.
BBC World Service senior commissioning editor Neil Curry said, “BBC World Service is proud of its reputation as the leading international multimedia broadcaster benefiting from the world’s most comprehensive newsgathering networks, with hundreds of specialist correspondents and journalists right across the world. With editorial independence and expertise at the heart of our coverage, we’ll deliver the WorldSpace subscribers top- quality sports programming specially targeted to listeners in India, giving them the global perspective of sporting events.”
TWI’s head of Radio Carolyn Smyth said: “WorldSpace has created a stellar group of content providers for Play, and effectively leveraging TWI’s long- standing relationships in the sports world will help to ensure its success. In addition to our extensive experience in maximizing radio sports rights, we are also pleased to offer our documentary and event programming expertise.We believe that subscribers in India will respond very positively to this new WorldSpace service.”
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.
