ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • APOS 2025: How JioStar turns sports into co-creation, not just consumption

    APOS 2025: How JioStar turns sports into co-creation, not just consumption

    BALI:  JioStar is no longer content with just broadcasting sport—it’s rewriting the production storybook altogether. Speaking at APOS 2025 in Bali, JioStar head of sports production services & technology Prashant Khanna laid out a bold vision: India as the epicentre of global sports innovation.

    “We don’t just see ourselves as broadcasters or production partners,” Khanna said during a high-energy fireside chat. “We’re in the business of helping India create iconic sporting memories.”

    Khanna spotlighted JioStar’s end-to-end reimagining of the sports viewing experience—infused with tech, empathy, and staggering interactivity. Think sign-language feeds, descriptive audio for the visually impaired, vertical videos, motion-capture-powered kids’ streams, and multi-cam toggles.

    “The modern fan doesn’t want to just watch—they want to co-create,” Khanna stressed. “Millions are producing their own version of the game in real time. That’s the expectation.”

    A major catalyst behind this transformation? Starlab, JioStar’s in-house innovation unit that’s quietly building a cloud-native production stack in collaboration with AWS, creators, and start-ups. The result: hyper-personalised, scalable, and immersive experiences beamed across devices in formats fans choose.

    Khanna also highlighted JioStar’s deep investment in talent pipelines through its partnership with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies—a government-led effort to skill the next generation in sports and live production.

    “It’s not just about what audiences see today. It’s about who shapes that experience tomorrow,” he said.
    Citing the recently concluded 18th season of the IPL as a “turning point,” Khanna revealed the company’s key takeaway: audiences don’t want passive content anymore.

    ““It’s been an eye-opener every single time, but this year, our biggest learning was how deeply involved the consumer is. They no longer want to passively consume what you’re serving them—they want to be part of shaping how the game unfolds over those 4–5 hours.”

    “We saw this play out every day for 2.5 months, through a variety of formats and platforms. Whether it was widescreen or vertical video, Sunday cohort feeds, or kids’ IPs brought to life through motion capture, the engagement was constant. It reinforced that delivering the game in a way fans understand and love is no longer optional-it’s essential,” he said.

    With India firmly on the front foot, JioStar’s playbook proves one thing: the future of sport is no longer just played. It’s produced, personalised, and powered by fans.

  • Juventus ditches straight stripes in a fashion-forward kit by adidas

    Juventus ditches straight stripes in a fashion-forward kit by adidas

    MUMBAI: Juventus is blurring the lines between sport and style this season—literally. The Italian giants have unveiled their new 2025/26 home kit in collaboration with adidas, and it’s anything but traditional.

    The famed black-and-white stripes have undergone a fashion makeover. Instead of clean, uniform lines, the new design features offset and varying stripe widths—an edgy nod to Italian high fashion and a bold throwback to the club’s original colours from 1897, splashed across the adidas logo, club crest, and the signature three stripes.

    The jersey isn’t just eye candy—it’s engineered for performance. The player edition features adidas’ cutting-edge Heat.rdy tech to keep stars cool under pressure, while fans get their hands on the sweat-wicking Aerorady version for everyday wear. Completing the retro-modern look is the Teamgeist collar, last seen on international kits during the 2006 World Cup.

    adidas senior design director, Juergen Rank said, “We’re proud to introduce something a little different this season while still staying true to the club’s iconic DNA. When you think of Italy, two things come to mind – football and fashion. We wanted to take a typically characteristic Italian design theme and reimagine it in a modern and innovative way to merge the best of fashion with the best of football performance. We also wanted to give fans of the club a hit of nostalgia, which we’ve achieved through the pink detailing seen on the club crest and adidas logo.”

    Equal parts nostalgia and next-gen flair, Juventus’ new home kit ensures the Old Lady remains one of the sharpest-dressed sides in Europe.
     

  • Travelxp turns up the HD heat in Hungary with Magyar Telekom

    Travelxp turns up the HD heat in Hungary with Magyar Telekom

    MUMBAI: Travelxp is cranking up the wanderlust dial in Hungary, now streaming in high-definition glory on Magyar Telekom. The premium travel and lifestyle network has launched Travelxp HD on the platform, complementing its existing 4K channel and giving Magyar Telekom’s 1.4 million TV subscribers another slick reason to stay glued to their screens.

    Located at channel position 85 on select packages, Travelxp HD brings a fresh burst of armchair escapism to Hungarian homes — from sun-kissed beaches and food trails to adrenaline-pumping adventures and offbeat destinations. All of it comes with the added ease of being fully dubbed in Hungarian, making it even more bingeable for local audiences.

    “Strengthening our partnership with Magyar Telekom, one of Hungary’s most respected  broadcast platforms, is a major milestone for Travelxp in Eastern Europe,” said Travelxp managing director, Europe & Africa, Sumant Bahl. “Hungarian audiences have  shown great enthusiasm for high-quality travel programming, and we’re excited to meet  that demand with immersive, fully localised content.”

    With over 1,000 hours of Hungarian-dubbed programming, Travelxp now reaches over 118 countries in more than 25 languages. The HD and 4K channels operate on distinct feeds, ensuring viewers get a curated buffet of globe-trotting stories in both formats.

    For Magyar Telekom, it’s another feather in the cap — the telco now beams over 160 channels (50+ in HD) and covers more than 33 per cent of Hungarian households, making it a natural partner for Travelxp’s growing European ambitions.

    From Budapest to Borneo, the world just got a little closer — and a whole lot crisper.

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  • Boria Majumdar joins NDTV as Consulting Editor for sports coverage

    Boria Majumdar joins NDTV as Consulting Editor for sports coverage

    MUMBAI:  Not just cricket scores or Olympic medals but what they say about a nation. That’s the lens Boria Majumdar is bringing to NDTV as he joins as consulting editor in a move that promises to reshape Indian sports journalism as we know it. A Rhodes Scholar, bestselling author, founder of Revsportz, and one of the country’s most respected sports voices, Boria isn’t just reporting the play he’s reading between the lines. From ghostwriting Playing It My Way with Sachin Tendulkar to tracking the Olympic journey of India’s rising stars, his résumé reads like a masterclass in access, authority, and storytelling.

    “This is a new NDTV,” says Boria. “And I’ve been building a new kind of Indian sports media narrative, one that goes beyond hero worship and highlights Olympic, Paralympic, and grassroots stories with equal rigour. It’s bold, and it’s overdue.”

    With India staring at a packed global sporting calendar from the 2026 T20 World Cup and FIFA World Cup to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and a possible bid for the 2036 Games NDTV’s new editorial strategy aims to deliver conversations that are not just entertaining, but essential.

    “Sport isn’t entertainment. It’s identity. It’s diplomacy. It’s where a nation stands when the anthem plays,” Boria explains. “We’re here to ask better questions. Infrastructure. Funding. Gender equity. Athlete mental health. These are not side notes, they’re the main story.”

    At NDTV, Boria will bring his signature depth, big-name interviews, and sharp commentary to a wider canvas. From Nagpada boxing rings to the chess boards of Chennai, from corporate corridors to kabaddi mat sidelines, expect every angle covered.

    NDTV  Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal CEO says, “Boria is the most high-impact sports journalist in the country. His knowledge is unmatched, and his vision aligns perfectly with NDTV’s intent to make sports journalism deeper, more insightful, and genuinely nation-shaping.”

    With this move, NDTV signals a shift from highlight reels to headline reforms. The spotlight is no longer just on the athlete, but on the system that shapes them. Because sport was never the side story. It was always the soul of it.

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  • Newsroom shake-up as Anil Uniyal exits NDTV after two eventful years

    Newsroom shake-up as Anil Uniyal exits NDTV after two eventful years

    MUMBAI: After steering the ship through a crucial phase, Anil Uniyal has stepped down as chief operating Officer of NDTV, wrapping up a two-year tenure that saw him deeply involved in shaping the channel’s post-acquisition identity and relaunching NDTV Profit. Uniyal’s resignation, as reported by multiple media outlets, closes another chapter in a career that’s been synonymous with leadership in Indian business newsrooms from Network18 to Quint and now NDTV. His departure adds another twist to NDTV’s evolving story under the Adani Media Group umbrella.

    During his stint at NDTV, Uniyal was known to have worked closely with Sanjay Pugalia and played a key role in stabilising the broadcaster’s business operations. He also had a hand in reviving NDTV Profit, the business news channel that absorbed operations from the now-defunct BloombergQuint.

    Speaking to Indian Television Dot Com Uniyal said he is yet to decide his next move on the professional front.

    Before joining NDTV in 2022, Uniyal served as CEO at Bloombergquint, where he helped position the venture as a significant digital destination for financial and business news. That journey began in 2016, after Bloomberg’s tie-up with Quintillion Media, and culminated in the platform’s eventual acquisition and integration into the NDTV family.

    His earlier stint at Network18 between 2011 and 2016 was equally prolific, where he held leadership roles across CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC Bajar, and Forbes India. As COO, he was instrumental in driving the group’s business news portfolio forward.

    While Uniyal’s next move remains under wraps, industry watchers are keenly eyeing where he lands next. One thing is certain: wherever he goes, he’s sure to bring newsroom know-how and sharp operational chops with him.
     

  • Red FM’s South Side Story returns with an Onam special and a riot of rhythm, rasam and rock

    Red FM’s South Side Story returns with an Onam special and a riot of rhythm, rasam and rock

    MUMBAI: Red Fm is bringing the beats and flavours of Southern India to the capital with the seventh edition of its flagship cultural carnival, South Side Story. Scheduled for 30 and 31 August at the KD Jadhav Wrestling Stadium in Delhi, this Onam Special promises a weekend soaked in music, masala and meaningful art.

    This year’s lineup reads like a playlist that slaps – expect explosive performances from Avial, The Raghu Dixit Project, Thaikkudam Bridge, Sooraj Santhosh Live, Job Kurian, Wild Wild Women, Shobana, TM Krishna, Aattam Kalasamithi and more. Genres will collide, and traditions will remix with rebellion – from folk-rock and indie pop to rap and classical.

    But Red Fm isn’t stopping at just sound. In the run-up to the event, Delhiites will get a taste of the South’s literary soul through tie-ups with DC Books and Kerala Literature Festival. Think book readings, cultural conversations, and indie film screenings. And yes, there’s sadhya — a 20-dish Onam feast that’s as photogenic as it is flavour-packed.

    Art installations, cultural showcases and pre-event pop-ups are set to take over the city — all reinforcing Red Fm’s identity as more than just a radio network. It’s now a cultural catalyst, bridging South India’s deep-rooted tradition with a modern, metropolitan pulse.

    Tickets start at Rs 499 on Skillbox.

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  • NBA and Skechers spotlight Indian hoop dreams in Hoop Nation Season 2

    NBA and Skechers spotlight Indian hoop dreams in Hoop Nation Season 2

    MUMBAI: When basketball meets bars, stories soar beyond the court. The NBA, in collaboration with Skechers, has launched the second season of its lyrical docuseries Hoop Nation, a four-part chronicle of resilience, rhythm and real-life hoop dreams from the far corners of India. Streaming now on NBA India’s Youtube channel, Hoop Nation Season 2 weaves slam dunks with sick beats, profiling underrepresented basketball voices from Kashmir to Kerala, Kolkata to Mumbai all with an assist from India’s rising hip-hop stars. This season is presented by Skechers, whose performance-driven basketball shoes make a prominent on-court cameo.

    The episodes spotlight:

    .  Ishrat Akhter, an international wheelchair basketball player from Baramulla, Kashmir

    .  Deepak P. Babu, a devoted fan and mentor from Alappuzha, Kerala

    .  The Lao family, a father-daughter duo championing basketball in Kolkata’s Indo-Chinese community

    .  Farooque Shaikh, a Nagpada-based coach shaping Mumbai’s next generation of ballers

    And who’s soundtracking their journeys? Straight Outta Srinagar, ThirumaLi, EPR Iyer and QK hip-hop artists whose original verses narrate these ballers’ lives with lyrical punchlines and sonic swagger.

    “Hoop Nation Season 2 embodies the spirit of basketball in India, a game that unites, inspires and drives change,” said NBA India Country HeadRajah Chaudhry. “Skechers shares our mission of taking the game deeper into India’s cultural and sporting fabric.”

    Skechers CEO of South Asia Rahul Vira added, “This isn’t just about footwear; it’s about fuelling the fire in every Indian baller. With Hoop Nation and the ACG Jr. NBA program, we’re enabling both inspiration and access.”

    The Skechers x NBA partnership also powered the ACG Jr. NBA India’s largest school basketball initiative. The 3v3 format tournament touched 4,000 plus players across 500 plus schools last year, with Skechers as official kit partner.

    From court-side storytelling to grassroots development, the initiative underscores a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the region, one that puts culture, community and comfort at the centre of the game.

    Whether you’re vibing to SOS’s Kashmiri verses or QK’s Mumbai flow, Hoop Nation 2 brings more than basketball, it brings belonging. And in the process, it reaffirms that sport, like music, hits different when it tells the stories that matter.

    Catch the docuseries now on the NBA India Youtube channel and follow for more behind-the-scenes action and product drops. Because whether it’s a crossover or a cross-rhyme, India’s hoop dreams are dribbling in style.
     

  • APOS 2025: JioStar reboots Indian storytelling: bold themes, small-town creators, and a Gen Z gold rush

    APOS 2025: JioStar reboots Indian storytelling: bold themes, small-town creators, and a Gen Z gold rush

    Bali: India’s entertainment juggernaut JioStar is rewriting the playbook for streaming success. Speaking  on Day one with MPA founder & executive director Vivek Couto at the Asia Pacific Video Operators Summit (APOS) in Bali, president, general entertainment Alok Jain and head of cluster – entertainment (south) Krishnan Kutty laid out a turbocharged strategy rooted in youth, cultural authenticity, and fearless innovation.

    Kutty didn’t mince words. “Streamers haven’t done enough for Gen Z,” he said, announcing plans to ramp up youth programming in the south by seven to ten times. “Today’s boldness isn’t about spectacle — it’s about challenging societal norms. But we’re not in California. This has to be rooted in India.”

    Jain backed it up with numbers and narrative. Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar, a 19-episode romantic drama with 50-minute episodes and a debut director, shattered expectations. “The audience embraced it because it felt fresh, not because of familiar faces,” he said. “Innovation isn’t just a tactic — it’s our baseline.”

    The pair’s APOS session, titled Inside the next wave of Indian storytelling, was a no-holds-barred manifesto for resetting the country’s content economy. “We’re not here to gatekeep,” said Jain. “Today’s creators are format-agnostic — moving from Instagram Reels to primetime drama to long-form docu. We want to build a creative ecosystem where they grow across mediums.”

    Kutty spotlighted small-town storytellers as the engine of this shift. “We’re backing young creators from Tirunelveli to Kochi who bring lived-in authenticity. Eighty per cent of our Malayalam content consumption comes from outside Kerala. Great stories transcend language and geography — that’s our sweet spot.”

    The duo also called out industry dysfunction. “Streaming has broken the economic model,” Kutty said. 
    “Producers have become B2B vendors serving platforms, not audiences. Talent and production costs have soared. We need a reset.”

    On the theatrical front, Jain was blunt. “Three-hour films don’t cut it in an age of 15-second videos. People only show up at cinemas for something really worth their time. Theatres need to reinvent — on price, experience, everything.”

    India’s scale, youth and appetite for change were central to JioStar’s bullish outlook. With over 300M subscribers on JioHotstar and 800M viewers across its TV network, JioStar sits atop 320,000  hours of content in 22 languages. “The only common thread?” said Jain. “Emotional truth. That’s what travels.”

    From microdramas to macro themes like justice and aspiration, the message from JioStar is clear: in a country bursting with creators, languages, and formats, the only limit is imagination.

  • CNN-News18 gears up for Defence Town Hall on 28 June

    CNN-News18 gears up for Defence Town Hall on 28 June

    MUMBAI: When the nation salutes its sentinels, it’s only fitting that the spotlight shines bright. CNN-News18 Town Hall is reporting for duty this Saturday, 28 June, with a power-packed Defence Edition that promises to march straight into the heart of India’s strategic pulse. Themed ‘Borders to Business – The Strength of Bharat’, the special programming pays tribute to India’s defence forces while diving deep into the evolving landscape of national security, self-reliance, and indigenous defence production. In true Town Hall style, expect sharp questions, sharper minds, and a salute to grit that goes beyond just rhetoric.

    Airing from 3 pm across CNN-News18 TV, CTV, and Youtube, the event brings together top brass from the armed forces, leading defence scientists, and private sector innovators creating a rare, all-hands-on-deck moment for India’s military narrative.

    Kicking things off, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, chief of integrated defence staff, will explore ‘The Age of Modern Warfare’, highlighting how battlefields are evolving and how India must respond. defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh follows with ‘Forging India’s Defence Independence’, outlining the government’s roadmap to self-reliance.

    The soul of the event may just lie in the stirring session titled ‘From Sindoor to Seema’, where Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari and three fellow women officers recount frontline experiences from Operation Sindoor, offering a ground-level view into courage under pressure.

    It’s not all uniforms and medals the Town Hall also shines a light on India’s burgeoning private defence sector. Names like Lt. Gen Vinod G. Khandare (Retd.), Sudhir Mishra (ex-CEO, Brahmos Aerospace), B.K. Das (DG, DRDO), Maj Gen Vishal Saxena (Retd.), Smit Shah (Drone Federation of India), Maj Gen Indrabalan (R), Military Technology Advisor, Amber Wings and  Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd.) will decode what it takes to make ‘Made in India, Made for World’ more than just a slogan.

    As Network18 CEO of English & Business News Smriti Mehra puts it, “We’re not just telling stories, we’re bringing alive India’s defence resurgence with the experts who’ve shaped it.”

    CNN-News18 managing editor, Zakka Jacob added, “Operation Sindoor showcased India’s readiness and resolve. This Town Hall will honour that courage and spark the conversations India needs as national security and aatmanirbharta become central to our growth.”

    From warzone learnings to workshop innovations, this edition captures it all from the borders to the boardrooms.

    So, ready your remotes and set your reminders because when the channel says “attention”, the nation will be watching.

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  • Zee UK blazes ahead with bold bets, beats rivals at their own game

    Zee UK blazes ahead with bold bets, beats rivals at their own game

    LONDON: Zee Entertainment UK isn’t just keeping up with the times—it’s running laps around its rivals. While other broadcasters are stuck in planning mode, Zee is executing at full throttle across platforms, markets and formats, setting a relentless pace for innovation in south Asian media.

    Zee Cinema has been clocking consistently high monthly reach in the UK, overtaking legacy players like Star Utsav. But resting on its laurels? 

    It’s not Zee’s style. 

    “Success is not a destination, it is a catalyst for the next leap forward,” said Zee TV territory head for the UK and Europe Parul Goel. His team is reshaping the game, not just playing it.

    Zee’s forward thinking approach has made it a model for others globally. From launching Zee One in Germany to pioneering Fast channels in France and the UK, Zee is rolling out initiatives that others are still workshopping. It was first to bring an Indian GEC—&TV—to the Fast ecosystem, and the first to dub Indian content in German, with Shah Rukh Khan himself launching it.

    It’s also made bolder plays outside the box: launching Europe’s first-ever cricket Fast pop-up channel with live ILT20 season 3 coverage, pulling off a multi-platform crossover of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Rewind: Queens of the 90s at Wembley Arena, and rolling out contextual advertising in the UK to boost engagement and brand ROI.
    With a 30-year head start, Zee’s legacy is already studded with milestones—like the UK’s first South Asian film awards in 2005 (ZCA), exclusive stage productions like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge at Manchester Opera House, and a track record of being the first sponsor behind major Bollywood concerts.

    Now it’s breaking new ground in streaming. Z5 has introduced the first-ever south Asian SVoD tier with ads in the UK and Europe, aggressively priced for reach. Behind the scenes, AI-led content workflows for Fast have helped Zee cut costs while maintaining its hallmark production quality.

    Even industry peers, in marking Zee’s 30th anniversary, have admitted there’s simply no one better at pushing boundaries. 

    As Goel puts it: “Zee has always been a network of firsts not just in India, but across global markets. While others prepare, we deliver. We’re not just adapting to change, we are leading it.” These words echo through every bold step the network takes.

    As the media landscape continues to evolve, Zee UK remains committed to doing what it has always done best: leading with purpose, innovating with conviction, and delivering with consistency.

    With strategy in its veins and speed as its weapon, Zee UK isn’t just a player in the south Asian broadcasting space. It’s writing the future.