MUMBAI: Rupert Murdoch?s News Corp. is busy creating a global sports broadcasting powerhouse. Soon after buying out ESPN?s stake in Asian sports broadcasting joint venture ESPN Star Sports, it has now gobbled up James Packer?s stake in Fox Sports.

News Corp. has made a $1.99 billion bid for a complete takeover of Australian billionaire Packer?s Consolidated Media Holdings, which holds 50 per cent of Fox Sports and 25 per cent of Foxtel.

The proposal, subject to regulatory approvals from Australian authorities, will give News Corp?s Australian subsidiary News Limited a complete ownership of Fox Sports with a 50 per cent stake in pay TV operator Foxtel.

Foxtel is half owned by Australian telecom and media company Telstra Corporation, with Rupert Murdoch?s News Corporation and Consolidated Media each holding a 25 per cent stake. Fox Sports is an equal joint venture partnership between Consolidated Media and News Corp.

Packer, son of late Kerry Packer, executive chairman of Consolidated Media?s largest shareholder, said: "CPH welcomes News? proposal and looks forward to CMH and News working together to address the detailed terms and conditions. Subject to this CPH, considering the offer price of $3.50 per share to be fair, will support the Proposal in the absence of a superior cash offer."

The deal will give Packer the capital to build war chest for his capital intensive casino business. He owns stakes in casinos in Australia, London, Macau and Las Vegas.

News Corp also has big plans for the US market where it is planning to launch a national sports network on cable television to take on Walt Disney-owned network ESPN, the dominant player in that market.

The company is considering converting its action-sports network Fuel to the new channel that would compete not just with ESPN but also with NBC?s and CBS?s sports networks.

In Asia, it has already become the dominant pay TV operator with the acquisition of ESPN?s stake in ESS.

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News Corp plans to take on Walt Disney?s ESPN

News Corp buys out Disney?s stake in ESPN Star Sports

MUMBAI: Zee TV, the flagship Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel) stable, is gearing up to launch a new fiction show, Rab Se Sona Ishq.

The show will go on-air on 16 July, though the channel has not finalised the time slot yet.

It is being produced by Jay Mehtaa Productions who have earlier associated with Zee TV to produce Sindoor.

Rab Se Sona Ishq is a coss-continental love story aimed at today?s "global" Indian.

The show is filmed in picturesque interiors of Punjab and will be shot in London over the next three months.

Zee TV head - fiction programming Sukesh Motwani said, "Its first-of-its-kind cross-continental love story on Indian television. It?s a story about people?s dreams and convictions and how they chase them. The canvas of this love story is expansive and our treatment of the show will be nothing short of grand."

Mehtaa added, "You will be able to appreciate the sheer effort and our minute attention to detail only once you see the episodes. To capture the essence of rural Punjab and retain the authenticity in its depiction, we?ve had a 25 day rigorous outdoor schedule in villages near Chandigarh and Patiala such as Nabha, Baroli, Banur, Majri and Basi Pathana. We have stunning visuals of our leads in Punjab."

The show?s soundtrack is the four new songs composed and recorded for it. The soundtrack also recreates some of the most beautiful Sufi compositions of Bulleh Shah, Reshma and Abida Parveen. Additionally, the show will feature a rock band wandering through the streets, performing songs pertinent to the situations developing on the show.

Rab Se Sona Isshq is story of Saahiba (played by Ekta Kaul), who deserted by the man of her dreams on the day of their wedding, follows her heart and chases him across continents. Her journey of hope rests on her conviction that their love is real and will last forever. The show also captures the "larger-than-life" illusions and tells the story of starry-eyed migrant Indians who land up in London with a million dreams, the channel said.

MUMBAI: Canada?s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium has announced its commitment to delivering Canadians the best Summer Games experience ever. The Consortium is bringing viewers more than 5,500 hours of coverage - the equivalent of more than 229 days of content or close to two thirds of a year - during the 17 days of London Olympic 2012, more than any other Games.

The Consortium?s plan includes 2,000+ hours of television coverage in 11 different languages and 3,500+ hours of digital coverage.

Additionally, the Consortium has confirmed the schedules for its conventional and dedicated sport channels which range between 15 - 22 hours of coverage per day. This plan ensures Canadians have as many options as possible to watch their favourite events.

Television: In total, more than 2,000 hours will be broadcast on Consortium television stations:

- English coverage on CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, and OLN - 1,114 hours

- French coverage on RDS and V - 704 hours

- Multi-lingual coverage on OMNI.1, OMNI.2, and ATN - 223 hours

- Languages include Bangla, Cantonese, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Tamil, and Urdu

Digital: More than 3,500 hours of coverage will be available online and on mobile devices at CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca:

- Live streaming of coverage from CTV, RDS, TSN, Sportsnet, and V - 1,431 hours

- Live streaming of events from various Olympic venues - 2,100 hours

Canada?s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium president Adam Ashton said, "We are committed to bringing Canadians a robust Olympic Games experience, whether on television or digital platforms. With 26 sports, plus a sizeable time difference and so many people on the go during the Summer, it is important to provide Canadians with a choice on how, when, and where they want to consume London 2012 content."

In addition, 10 Rogers Radio stations will provide listeners with Olympic Games coverage, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a daily hour-long highlights show, and updates three times an hour everyday during the Games.

MUMBAI: British public prosecutor has charged former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and five others including her husband Charles Brooks for perverting the course of justice in the phone hacking scandal that rocked Rupert Murdoch owned company in July last year.

Those charged include Cheryl Carter, Brooks? personal assistant; Mark Hanna, Head of Security at News International; Paul Edwards, Brooks? chauffeur who was employed by News International; Daryl Jorsling and a seventh suspect - both of whom provided security for Brooks supplied by News International.

The prosecutor has charged the accused with criminal offence for concealing material from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service and conspiring to remove seven boxes of material from the archive of News International.

Brooks and her husband criticised the decision saying it was "weak and unjust". Charles is a former racehorse trainer and school friend of Prime Minister David Cameron.

Senior prosecutor Alison Levitt concluded that in relation to all suspects, there is sufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction.

"I have concluded that a prosecution is required in the public interest in relation to each of the other six,? Levitt said in a statement.

The six accused are due to appear before London Court on a date to be determined.

Both Charles and Rebekah Brooks were arrested in March for engaging in phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of publishing stories at the now defunct News of the World news paper.
She had resigned as head of News International in July in the wake of her arrest for the phone hacking scandal.

Earlier, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the British Parliament, which was probing the phone hacking scandal at News International, had ruled that the News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch is ?unfit? to lead the company.