News Broadcasting
Zee rejects artists body IPRS’ insolvency claim
Mumbai: When two giants decide to mate, the ground shakes and it irks others around. Exactly as is happening with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) as it steadily moves ahead to fuse with Sony Pictures Networks India.
Earlier, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, and IDBI Bank had protested that they are owed money by sister company Zee Media, and hence the merger should be stalled and the entertainment major be dissolved. Now it’s the turn of the music royalties collecting body, the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) to step into the frame and yell that Zeel owes it Rs 211 crore for music and literary works aired on the network’s TV channels, and it needs to be declared insolvent.
The former has filed a petition with the National Company Law Tribunal’s Mumbai bench, seeking the initiation of Zeel’s corporate insolvency resolution process.
The Punit Goenka-headed firm has denied any such obligations, citing an existing dispute between it and the royalty body. In its reply it said: “There is a pre-existing dispute between the parties on the claimed amount, the claim is not in consonance with the interpretation of the law on the point of payment of royalties for literary and musical works by the Delhi high court, and hence, the claimed amount is not due or payable to IPRS.”
It added that it would be filing its reply to the IPRS petition at the earliest.
NCLT, CCI, and the company’s shareholders have previously approved the merger with Culver Max Entertainment (Sony).
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
