News Broadcasting
Zee to launch global news network in English
NEW DELHI: The Subhash Chandra-controlled Zee Network, India’s largest vertically integrated media company, today announced that it would “soon launch” an English language global news network with an aim to put across the south Asian viewpoint to the world adequately.
Speaking some time back at the three-day Ficci-Frames 2005, an entertainment and media industry-related conclave in Mumbai, Chandra said that this initiative of Zee, amongst few others, is aimed at trying to put an Indian stamp over the global media and entertainment industry.
According to Chandra, for the India media companies to become truly global and competitive at the international level, it is necessary that the region’s viewpoint is put across lucidly, laced with adequate perspective, in front of the global audiences.
This move, Chandra said, is being done as, for example, generally CNN explains the US viewpoint, while BBC elucidates the British viewpoint to the global audience.
In this regard, Chandra, whose company is lobbying hard for certain policy changes, pointed out that the government should look into the investment norms and try removing the inadequacies therein to enable Indian media companies to go truly global and compete internationally. He also said that his dream is to straddle the global market through ventures in various parts of the world.
Chandra said this in presence of government representatives at the Ficci-Frames convention, which was flagged off today in the forenoon.
“Look outward and try taking new share of the global media industry,” Chandra suggested to the Indian media industry representatives present at the convention, indicating that unless this is done India media companies would not be able to increase their share of the market globally.
Keep tuned as we bring you more from the Ficci-Frames convention as also what Chandra, sometimes also referred to as the Asian Rupert Murdoch, said during a special address.
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.
