News Broadcasting
Zee makes initial payment of $ 20 million to BCCI
MUMBAI / NEW DELHI: Challenges in the court notwithstanding, Zee Telefilms is not letting any such distractions come in the way as it moves ahead full steam with its plans for the mother of all cricket acquisitions – India cricket telecast rights.
Honouring one of the conditions set by the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) when it awarded Zee the rights for the next four years for a whopping $ 308 million, Subhash Chandra’s network made an initial payment of $20 million this morning.
According to a spokesperson for Essel Group, the parent entity for Zee Telefilms and Chandra’s other companies, it has also been conveyed to the BCCI that a bank guarantee worth $ 75 million is also ready as per conditions. “As and when the BCCI indicates, the bank guarantee would be furnished, which would also facilitate the signing of the contract simultaneously,” the spokesperson added.
The other condition Zee had to fulfil when it was awarded the contract was to provide a bank guarantee. The board has also said it expects Zee to enter into an agreement with Prasar Bharati for the live feed of the cricket matches
ESS CASE ADJOURNED TO THURSDAY
Meanwhile, the case filed yesterday by ESPN Star Sports in the Bombay High Court challenging BCCI’s decision to award the rights to the Zee Network has been adjourned to Thursday.
A division bench of Chief Justice DC Bhandari and Justice DY Chandrachud gave this decision when the ESS petition came up for hearing before them.
Petitioner ESS, incidentally, has also made the Indian government a party to the case.
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.
