Category: TV Channels

Mumbai: Aaj Tak, India’s most trusted Hindi news channel, commemorates the successful completion of one year of its ground-breaking show, ‘Black & White.’ This milestone is a cause for celebration, as the show captivated audiences with its compelling coverage of crucial incidents and pressing social issues, solidifying its position as the destination for impactful journalism.

Hosted by Sudhir Chaudhary, ‘Black & White’ has disrupted the prime time slot, becoming the preferred choice for viewers at 9 pm. This show has surpassed competition and garnered immense success, reinforcing Sudhir Chaudhary’s position as a leading journalist. 

The show’s exceptional success is evident through its commendable viewership numbers, both on television and YouTube Live. According to the latest data from BARC, ‘Black & White’ consistently dominated the Hindi-speaking belt with a commendable 90.2 Mn gross AMA (Average Minute Audience), surpassing its competitors including News 18 India, Republic Bharat, and India TV (Source: BARC | HSM | 22-40 AB | 19 July ’22 to 07 July ’23 | Mon to Fri | 2100-2200 Hrs, Rolled Data). Additionally, the show emerged as the No 1 show in YouTube Live viewership during its time band, with an average of 77 K concurrent users (Source: YT Average Concurrent Users- All Feeds | 19 July 2022 to 12 July 2023 | Mon to Fri | 2100 to 2200 Hrs).

‘Black & White’ has made significant contributions beyond its ratings and viewership. The show’s societal campaign, ‘Mera Swabhiman,’ has created a profound impact by shedding light on pressing social issues. This corporate social responsibility initiative has resonated with the public, garnering immense support and raising awareness on important matters.

The success of ‘Black & White’ can be attributed to its unique concept and Chaudhary’s exceptional journalism skills. The show’s name itself reflects the viewers’ choice, as they connect with the distinct black and white theme that Aaj Tak introduced during the show’s launch, featuring a black and white piano, zebra crossing, and a chessboard.

Some of the notable highlights and special features of ‘Black and White’ over the last year include the show’s analysis of how the declining state of Nainital led to the establishment of a committee by the government to save the city; a report on the risks associated with usage of nonstick and Teflon-coated utensils which prompted many consumers to remove cracked utensils from their kitchens. The revelation of Shahid Afridi’s insult towards a senior Indian minister sparked significant discussions in India and Pakistan. 

A special series covering topics such as Joshimath, the ban on mobile phones in Kedarnath Dham, and how the Mazar Jihad in Uttarakhand resulted in positive changes as a result. The show also exposed a sinister plan to use online gaming to convert religion. The show further shed light on the life of independence warrior Batukeshwar Dutt and featured an exclusive interview with Shraddha’s father in the Delhi Shraddha murder case.

As ‘Black & White’ completes its successful first year, Aaj Tak, as part of the India Today Group, reaffirms its commitment to delivering comprehensive news coverage across various domains. With a team of seasoned journalists and state-of-the-art news-gathering infrastructure, Aaj Tak continues to earn the trust of millions of viewers as a reliable source of news.

Mumbai: News18 Gujarati recently organised Shaurya Sanman to honour and salute the bravery of the police force in the state on 14 July 2023, in Morbi, Gujarat. With this event, New18 aims to recognise and acknowledge the remarkable courage displayed by Gujarat’s police force for their heroic efforts in ensuring the safety and security of the citizens.

The event was graced by the esteemed presence of Harsh Sanghavi, the State Home Minister, who attended as the chief guest. Harsh Sanghavi presented awards to 60 exceptional policemen and women, hailing from various cities within the Rajkot division. These brave individuals were recognised across nine distinct categories – Best Bravery & Humanitarian Work, Best Prevention & Detection, Best Community Policing, Best “SHE TEAM” Work, Best of S.O.G., Best of L.C.B., Best of Technology and Cyber Crime, Best of S.H.O. and Best N.D.P.S cases.

Harsh Sanghavi expressed his gratitude to News18 Gujarati for organising this event and providing a platform for celebrating the valor of the police force. The awardees were chosen from different cities, including Morbi, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Rajkot Rural, and Surendranagar, showcasing the exceptional commitment and dedication of Gujarat’s police personnel across the region.

News18 Gujarati Shaurya Sanman not only acknowledges the sacrifices made by these brave men and women but also serves as a tribute to their unshakable devotion to maintaining law and order.

Mumbai: CNN-News 18 hosted “CNN-News 18 Town Hall’s Delhi chapter, which witnessed top notch policymakers, political leaders and members of Parliament discussing party policies, manifestos and strategies in the face of Lok Sabha elections 2024.   

Sharing his views on the Town Hall theme ‘Road to 2024’, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari expressed confidence on the performance of the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and added, “People will vote for the good governance in 2024 because we do politics of progress and development. What Congress did not do in sixty years; we did in nine. BJP will have a massive majority under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Taking a swipe on the Opposition’s bid to huddle together, the minister said, “When people become weak, they come together. We do politics of conviction and progression.”

On the Uniform Civil Code, he said that there should be one in law for everyone that will lead to social progression.

Speaking on pollution and public transport, Gadkari said, “We want to make Delhi free from traffic congestion and air pollution and we should underline the importance of public transport to reduce air pollution,” adding that a green infra solution is the priority of his government.   

On questioned about flood like situation in the national capital, Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, squarely pinned blame on the Delhi government for people grappling with flood and misery. Connoting Delhi flood and urban development, the minister said, “It is entirely MR Kejriwal’s fault. Land is a state subject.”

Praising the performance of the Modi government on Swachh Bharat mission, he said, “The percentage of waste reprocessing was 17 percent in 2014, while it has now gone up to 76 percent under the leadership of PM Modi’s nine-year governance. We are committed to taking it to 100 percent.

Shedding his insights on the online gaming that hit headlines for being clamped with 28 percent of goods and services tax (GST), Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, said: “We would go back to the GST council to request it for consideration on the new regulatory framework.”

He added, “That online gaming framework is in the nascent stage and it would be evolved to be a better regulation. The Prime Minister is of the view that we should do everything for the next decade in digital space. It is better to do it right than to do it fast.”

Keeping his stand at the CNN-News 18 Delhi Town Hall, senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor praised the Modi government’s policy on G20. He said, “Foreign policy has evolved under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. It should be kept beyond politics. Now the world cannot ignore India, and for this the BJP-led Central government should be praised.”

He said that there should be no politics on national security, but the government has given China a free hand for transgressions against India, and added, “Relations with China are at a crossroads. There is no clarity from the government on China policy. There is no discussion on China in Parliament. The ban on Chinese mobile apps was just symbolic.”

Reacting to the opposition meeting in Bengaluru, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “This is not happening for the first time. In 2018, many leaders had joined hands. The public is clear about who will lead them to new heights. PM Narendra Modi has given a clear vision of Amrit Kaal for the next 25 years.”

He added that while PM Modi was in America to ink several defence deals, opposition leaders, on the same day, were busy staying together in Patna to cover themselves from various scams.

Responding to it, Congress leader Manish Tiwari said, ‘The essence of any democracy is change. It brings about renewal, regeneration and rejuvenation of the democratic experiment. The principle of any functional democracy should be amenable to regular change of government. When you talk about alliances, one meeting is held in Bengaluru, while another meeting of 30 parties of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is being held in New Delhi.”

Speaking on the Parliament disruption and pandemonium, Sonal Mansingh, renowned Indian classical dancer and President’s nominated Rajya Sabha member, said, “It is unfortunate that so many important bills do not get passed due to disruptions.”

Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev said that in the previous Parliament session, BJP ministers disrupted proceedings throughout by saying “Rahul Gandhi maafi maango”. There is an undeclared emergency in the country, she added.

On the issue of opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP MP GV L Narasimha Rao said the Congress has to fight where it is strong and other parties have to fight in their bastions. “We will ensure that nobody in opposition again gets an opposition status,” said Rao. He added on a lighter note that the only thing which was discussed in detail in the previous Parliament session was the popular song “Naatu Naatu” from the film RRR.

Speaking on the occasion, CNN-News 18, managing editor, Zakka Jacob said, “CNN-News 18 Townhall is a big success which has brought representatives of ruling establishment and Opposition on a platform for meaningful discussions to showcase the preparedness for Lok Sabha elections 2024. The timing of CNN-News 18 Townhall is quite significant as it reflects the battle between the NDA and Opposition which have coalesced to chalk out their plans for the 2024 showdown. We have also given viewers an opportunity to interact with the participating leaders to know the optics of 2024 parliament elections. Such event empowers the viewers to make informed decisions vis-a-vis democratic process of the country.”

Mumbai: This week BBC News is taking a closer look at Artificial Intelligence (AI) – exploring how AI is already affecting our lives, and looking at the ways it could impact all our futures.

Every day this week BBC News will launch new thought-provoking and informative journalism to help audiences understand what AI is, what it can do, and how it is shaping the world we live in. BBC News will speak to leading experts in the field and deep dive into issues around jobs, security and technology.

It kicks off with an exclusive interview with Ian Hogarth – the recently announced chair of the UK’s AI Foundation Model Taskforce.

In the interview, Hogarth talks to Zoe Kleinman about the importance of tech innovation in Europe, saying that we need to scale up companies in Europe instead of selling them on to be grown by larger global companies, citing the sales the sales of Skype to Ebay and Deep Mind to Google.

He also warns about AI and calls for greater understanding of the risks – telling the BBC “we’ve got to think about how to protect British jobs”  and explore how we “really hold these [AI] companies to account in an appropriate way”.

They also discuss the environmental cost of the energy the data centres will need which will add up to “a tremendous carbon footprint”.

An interview with Deep Mind founder Mustafa Suleyman, explored security, the culture of risk taking in the UK to facilitate significant tech innovation, and the potential impact of AI on the way we live. He told the BBC, “[AI] is going to be hugely product productive and beneficial for our civilization. And clearly that also means that some people are going to struggle to make the transition. The question is one of values, how do we compensate those people who need to retrain and rescale and give them opportunities to improve and get back into the workplace. And to me, that’s a question of government subsidization and support and ultimately, of taxation.”

Across the week, audiences will be able to learn more across all BBC News platforms – including podcasts on BBC Sounds, news and investigations on the BBC News website and TV packages on the news bulletins and channel, as well as special content for iPlayer.

As AI increases in its capabilities and scope of work, BBC News will look across how it is currently affecting our working lives, and how it could change the job market and affect business. It will also look at the role of AI in education, and how it is already being used in sport and being used to create music and media.

The week also started with a visual guide to help you understand AI, answering all the questions you need to understand the basics of what AI is, and what it does – from the different types of AI, to how it learns, and how it can understand images.

This follows on from the BBC Sounds ten-part series with Spencer Kelly – Understand: Tech and AI, which aims to demystify the technology in our lives, explore key topics and answers big questions such as ‘Can AI be controlled?’ and ‘Will AI take my job?’

Upcoming highlights will include Click with Marc Cieslak: Marc will create Click’s own AI ‘Gogglebox’, and an iPlayer special on AI Moments that Made your Jaw Drop.

More news and content will be launched every day this week, with range of BBC global platforms sharing the focus on AI including:

BBC Future – BBC.com’s science section will be publishing articles including the A-Z guide of artificial intelligence terms,  how to spot an AI cheater and how AI companies are buying up the rights to actors, musicians and personalities.

BBC Worklife will also be looking at the effect AI can have on your personal and professional life, including how AI can make you feel terrible about yourself – but it shouldn’t and how AI could save Gen Z’s professional futures.