New Delhi, 19th September 2017

An FIR No. 240 of 2012 was registered at Police Station Crime Branch, District Crime and Railway, on the basis of a complaint filed by M/s Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) whereby it was alleged that defamatory material was telecast at ZEE News Channel against JSPL and when JSPL officials approached and met Zee employees Samir Ahluwalia and Sudhir Chaudhary, the latter demanded money in lieu of stopping the said telecast. In view of the same, the above said FIR alleging attempt to extortion was got registered.

During investigation of the matter, the Police had recorded statements under Section 161 CrPC, including that of Sh. Ravi Muthereja (a material witness in the matter). However, the said witness (Sh. Ravi Muthereja) wrote a letter to the Police, stating that various allegations made by him against the accused in the Complaint and FIR were not true and correct and were made under the influence of Shri Naveen Jindal (the then MP of the ruling party).

In view of the same, a Writ Petition bearing W. P. (Crl.) No. 2734 of 2017 titled Sudhir Charudhary Vs. State and Anr. was listed on 19.09.2017 before the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi, seeking a prayer for reinvestigation of said FIR 240/2012.

The matter was argued at length by Sr. Adv. Aman Lekhi and Adv. Vijay Aggarwal, Counsels for the Petitioner, arguing that the entire matter hinges on the statement of Sh. Ravi Mutheraja and that the other witnesses, who have been examined during investigation, are part of one composite whole and as the statement made by Sh. Ravi Mutheraja has been stated to be made under influence, the said aspect of the matter ought to be investigated properly, in order to protect the right to fair investigation.

The Ld. APP for State, conceded before the Court that the letter by Sh. Ravi Mutheraja has been received and stated that the same shall be fairly and thoroughly investigated.

The Court, in its order, took note of the arguments of the Petitioner that a material witness in the matter has claimed to have given statement not out of his free will, but under the influence of Sh. Naveen Jindal, the then MP of the ruling party. The Court was of the view that the matter ought to be investigated holistically.

Accordingly, the Writ Petition was disposed off, by taking note of the fact that the matter shall be investigated holistically, in an unbiased, fair and thorough manner.

In view of the same, the matter shall be investigated thoroughly and all consequences that follow, shall follow. In case, after investigation, the allegations made in the FIR are found to be false, then the same shall have serious repercussions on the case and criminal action for lodging a false case can be initiated against those who had lodged the FIR.

Irdeto will secure premium live sports and entertainment content throughout the region

IBC AMSTERDAM, 19 September 2017 – Irdeto, the world leader in digital platform security, today announced details of a new three year deal with beIN, the dominant sports and entertainment broadcaster in the region. Building on a long term relationship with Irdeto, beIN will be using Irdeto’s world-leading Conditional Access Solution and security services for the delivery of live sports and entertainment content to customers across the region.

“As a growing brand providing premium content across the MENA region, it’s important that we work to secure the investment that we put into showing high-value live sports and entertainment content. In doing so, we can continue to focus on providing the best experience and the latest technology for our customers,” said Yousef Al-Obaidly, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, beIN Media Group.

“Live sports and entertainment are prime targets for online pirates, and beIN is committed to fighting piracy and protecting its business,” said Doug Lowther, CEO, Irdeto. “We applaud beIN’s proactive approach to anti-piracy and protecting high value content – particularly important for live sports with its high costs and extremely limited monetization window.”

beIN is the region’s leading pay TV network with over 90 channels broadcasting premium sports, blockbuster movies, exciting general entertainment programs, news and current affairs, kids and factual programs. beIN operates in 24 markets regionally and is customers’ first choice when it comes to premium TV content.

Irdeto Conditional Access is one of a number of solutions offered by the company which are designed to ensure not only excellent security but also the ability to quickly and easily react to changes in the market and new technologies in a cost effective fashion. Irdeto also offers a number of other technologies and proactive services designed to mitigate piracy end-to-end across networks. By selecting Irdeto, beIN Media Group can focus on wider business growth strategies while ensuring that content is fully protected.

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For further information, please contact:

Jon White
PR Manager, EMEA, Irdeto
Phone: +44 (0)7384 234942
Email: jonathan.white@irdeto.com

Crystal Kung
Senior Account Manager, WE Communications
P: +65 6303 8472
Email: ckung@we-worldwide.com

Eutelsat Corporate – Sep 16, 2017 15:19 CEST

Amsterdam, Paris, 16 September 2017 – VIVACOM, the leading provider of telecom services in Bulgaria, today announced at IBC in Amsterdam the signature of a multi-year contract with Eutelsat for C-band capacity on the EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite in order to expand its video business in Africa.

VIVACOM’s ambition is to provide contribution services for international channels seeking carriage by major African pay-TV operators. The first six channels are already being uplinked to EUTELSAT 8 West B from Bulgaria, using VIVACOM’s Plana teleport which is also one of Eutelsat’s partner teleports, certified under the World Teleport Association’s Teleport Certification Program.

Vladimir Rangelov, Senior Manager Broadcasting services in VIVACOM, said: “Through our Plana teleport, we offer channels end-to-end solutions for signal acquisition, encoding, encryption, uplink and downlink via satellite with excellent quality and reliability. This contract adds new value for our customers by giving them access to the African market and marks another milestone in a collaboration with Eutelsat that we look forward to pursuing.”

Michel Azibert, Eutelsat’s Chief Commercial and Development Officer, added: “This contract consolidates our EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite as a major platform for highly reliable contribution services into the African market. It is a first step to support VIVACOM ‘s development into Africa.”

Meet Eutelsat at IBC show in Amsterdam until 19 September: Hall 1, Stand D59.

About Eutelsat Communications

Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 39 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies.

Eutelsat’s satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user’s location.

Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 32 countries who are experts in their fields and work with clients to deliver the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat please visit www.eutelsat.com

Press
Vanessa O’Connor Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 voconnor@eutelsat.com
Marie-Sophie Ecuer Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 mecuer@eutelsat.com

Investors and analysts
Joanna Darlington Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30 jdarlington@eutelsat.com
Cédric Pugni Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30 cpugni@eutelsat.com

BIG LITTLE LIES Leads All HBO Programming With 8 Wins Including Outstanding Limited Series While THE NIGHT OF And VEEP Each Wins 5 Emmys®

Please download high res images here

SINGAPORE, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 – HBO dominates the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy^® Awards with 29 wins, the most of any network for the 16th consecutive year, announced today in Los Angeles. BIG LITTLE LIES swept 8 Emmys^®, including Outstanding Limited Series, and Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie. THE NIGHT OF and VEEP each won five Emmys^®. The former won Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie, while the latter won Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series.

HBO’s complete list of Emmy^® wins this year:

• 8 wins for BIG LITTLE LIES

Outstanding Casting For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special
Outstanding Contemporary Costumes For A Series, Limited Series Or Movie
Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie (Alexander Skarsgård)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie (Nicole Kidman)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie (Laura Dern)
Outstanding Limited Series
Outstanding Music Supervision

Catch the encore of BIG LITTLE LIES every Tuesday from October 10 at 9pm (SIN) on HBO SIGNATURE. The series is also streaming on HBO GO.

• 5 wins for THE NIGHT OF

Outstanding Cinematography For A Limited Series Or Movie
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Limited Series Or Movie
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Series Or Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie (Riz Ahmed)

Watch the encore of THE NIGHT OF every Thursday from September 21 at 8.40pm (SIN), subsequent episodes at 9pm and last episode on November 9 at 8.25pm (SIN) on HBO SIGNATURE. The series is also streaming on HBO GO.

• 5 wins for VEEP

Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program (Half-Hour Or Less)
Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour)

Watch two back-to-back episodes of VEEP Season 6 every Wednesday from September 27 at 10pm (SIN) on HBO SIGNATURE. The series is also streaming on HBO GO.

• 5 wins for WESTWORLD

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Single-Camera Series
Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted Program
Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
Outstanding Special Visual Effects

Catch the marathon of WESTWORLD on September 30 and October 1 from 10am (SIN) on HBO SIGNATURE. The series is also streaming on HBO GO.

• 4 wins FOR LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER:

Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming
Outstanding Interactive Program
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series

• 1 win for ONCE UPON A SESAME STREET CHRISTMAS

Outstanding Children’s Program

• 1 win for 2017 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special

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ABOUT HBO ASIA

Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes that are produced exclusively for HBO viewers. Wholly owned by HBO (a Time Warner company), HBO Asia reaches 23 territories across Asia and offers a bouquet of channels and services including five 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels in standard-definition and high-definition – HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO FAMILY, HBO HITS and CINEMAX – as well as a 24-hour Asian movie channel, RED by HBO, and other services such as HBO GO, HBO ON DEMAND and 鼎级剧场 (ding ji ju chang) in China. HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst and the DreamWorks channel in Asia. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

For more information, please contact HBO Asia:

Karen Lai
Director, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1796
Email: karen.lai@hboasia.com

Cheryl Foong
Manager, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1838
Email: cheryl.foong@hboasia.com

Chan Zi Ning
Executive, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1746
Email: zining.chan@hboasia.com

Irdeto will enable Tata Sky to launch a secure OTT service, supporting a variety of connected devices

IBC 2017, AMSTERDAM – 16 September 2017 – Irdeto, the world leader in digital platform security, has been selected by Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platform providing pay TV and over-the-top (OTT) services, to enhance its end-to-end solution for OTT services. Tata Sky aims to launch the most innovative online video service in India to give consumers greater choice and convenience. Irdeto’s OTT solutions simplify the operations and workflow of supporting multiple digital rights management (DRM) systems, configuring consistent business policies across different devices and managing a massive library of media assets. Irdeto will enable Tata Sky to not only rapidly re-launch their service, but also have the flexibility to easily adapt their service and business model to meet changing demands.

The pay TV market in India is highly competitive, yet there is tremendous growth potential for OTT services as disposable incomes rise. According to Tetra Pax Index 2017, 82% of the Indian population spends their time on mobile phones, and 2017 saw a 23% rise in internet users who spend an average of eight hours a day online compared to 2016.

“To take advantage of the growing trend of consumption of video on-the-go, in India, it is important for us to offer our customers the best user experience on their devices. This means a high quality, multi-lingual viewing experience of live channels and on-demand content with superior navigation within a reliable and scalable service,” said Pallavi Puri, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Sky. “We are confident that we can deliver the best Tata Sky OTT experience to our customers quickly with the help of Irdeto’s solutions, expertise and support. Irdeto’s long-standing presence in India is also a testament to their strong commitment in helping the industry mature and develop.”

“There is a tremendous growth opportunity for OTT services in India, which brings about fierce competition in the industry. As such, it is crucial for operators like Tata Sky to have the freedom to innovate and the confidence to take risks and be in control of their future,” said Bengt Jonsson, Senior Vice President of Sales & Services, Irdeto. “This will be our first time working with Tata Sky and we are heavily invested in helping them meet their business goals. We can offload the complexity of managing security, fragmented technologies and backend workflow for them, and enable them to focus on delivering value to their customers.”

The first phase of the project has been launched with Android devices, and the follow-on phases will extend Tata Sky’s OTT service to PC and iOS devices. Irdeto manages the planning and deployment of the project for Tata Sky, including both implementing Irdeto’s own solutions and working with third parties to ensure successful end-to-end integration.

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About Irdeto

Irdeto is the world leader in digital platform security, protecting platforms and applications for media & entertainment, automotive and IoT connected industries. Our solutions and services enable customers to protect their revenue, create new offerings and fight cybercrime. With nearly 50 years of expertise in security, Irdeto’s software security technology and cyber services protect over 5 billion devices and applications for some of the world’s best-known brands. Our unique heritage as a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers (JSE: NPN) means that we are a well-established and reliable partner to help build a more secure future. Please visit Irdeto at www.irdeto.com.

For further information, please contact:

Jon White
PR Manager, EMEA, Irdeto
Phone: +44 (0)7384 234942
Email: jonathan.white@irdeto.com

Crystal Kung
Senior Account Manager, WE Communications
P: +65 6303 8472
Email: ckung@we-worldwide.com

Amsterdam, 15 September 2017 – APT Satellite Company Limited (APT Satellite) and Telekom Austria Group inked a satellite capacity agreement to broadcast channels from the APSTAR-7 satellite at 76.5E. After a couple of months test run on APSTAR-7 satellite, a bouquet of 13 channels including a 4K channel using HEVC encoding started broadcasting on APSTAR-7, being uplinked by Telekom Austria Group’s own earth station Aflenz in the Styrian Alps.

“APT Satellite is pleased to cooperate with TAG. And we are interested at broadcasting a 4K channel from one of our satellites. APT Satellite is expecting the cooperation can boost European TV’s viewership in Asia, meanwhile increase the popularity of 4K TV in this part of world.” said Huang Baozhong, Executive Vice President of APT Satellite.

“We are excited to work with APT Satellite – the fastest growing satellite operator in Asia. With this unique cooperation, we have now built a bridge between Europe and Asia, aiding the European broadcasters to enter and pursue growth into the expansive Asian market. We are optimistic about the fast adoption of 4K content in Asia and proud to broadcast one of the first 4K channels for this territory.” said Stanislav Georgiev, Head of Media Broadcasting, Telekom Austria Group.

The TV platform is available throughout Asia Pacific region, South Asia, Middle East, most part of Europe and Africa by its operation on APSTAR-7 satellite.

Reception Parameters of FTV Platform

Item	Source
Satellite	APSTAR-7 @ 76.5E
Frequency Band	C-band
Downlink Frequency	3740 MHz
Downlink Polarization	Vertical
Symbol rate	30 Msps
Downlink Polarization	Vertical
Symbol rate	30 Msps
Modulation	DVB-S2, 8PSK, FEC=3/4
Roll-off	20%
Video Format	MPEG-4/HD HEVC/UHD

About TAG

Telekom Austria Group, listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, is a leading provider of digital services and communications solutions in Central and Eastern Europe with more than 24 million customers, currently operating in seven countries: Austria and Slovenia (A1), Bulgaria (Mobiltel), Belarus (velcom), Croatia (Vipnet), the Republic of Serbia (Vip mobile) and the Republic of Macedonia (one.Vip).

Offering communications, payment and entertainment services as well as integrated business solutions, Telekom Austria Group achieved revenues of more than 4 billion Euros by year end 2016. Over 18.000 employees and state of the art broadband infrastructure make digital business and lifestyle possible and enable people, companies and things to connect everywhere anytime. As European unit of América Móvil, the third largest wireless services provider in the world, Telekom Austria Group is headquartered in Vienna and gives access to global solutions.

About APT Satellite

Based in Hong Kong, APT SATELLITE COMPANY LIMITED (“APT Satellite”) is a satellite company operating a fleet of five satellites, namely APSTAR-5, APSTAR-6, APSTAR-7 and APSTAR-9. APSTAR-5C and APSTAR-6C are currently under construction, they will replace APSTAR-5 and APSTAR-6 respectively in 2018. The footprints of the fleet cover Asia, Middle East, Oceania, and most part of Europe and Africa, extending services to over 75% of the world’s population. Currently distributing 600+ TV channels around the world including HBO, Disney, Sony Pictures, NBCU, RTL-CBS, EBU, GMA, TVBI, TVn, Celestial Tiger etc, APT Satellite is also supplying transponder capacity to a variety of DTH platforms, as well as to media networks for video contributions across the world.

Hong Kong, 13 September 2017 – Arqiva, the UK’s leading communications infrastructure and media services company, has extended its lease for C and Ku-band capacity with Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), Asia’s leading satellite operator for sports content delivery across the Asia-Pacific.

The agreement will see Arqiva’s continued use of AsiaSat 5 to deliver a broad range of sporting events to Asian viewers, from football and cricket, to volleyball and tennis. The new agreement also provides Arqiva the option of using Ku-band capacity on AsiaSat 7, allowing additional flexibility in the deployment of smaller antennas for occasional use and live events.

Arqiva’s expanded collaboration with AsiaSat demonstrates AsiaSat’s capability in presenting a wide range of satellite capacity of the quality and penetration that meets clients’ distribution needs. AsiaSat’s ubiquitous coverage now plays an essential role in Arqiva’s global content delivery network.

David Crawford, Managing Director, Satellite and Media at Arqiva, said, “In addition to our continued commitment to provide services in the Asia-Pacific region, this lease extension with AsiaSat gives Arqiva and our customers true flexibility for future live events. Our on-going strategic partnership with AsiaSat reinforces our commitment to providing premium occasional use services in the market.”

Barrie Woolston, Chief Commercial Officer of AsiaSat said, “We are delighted to support Arqiva with an expanding range of high quality capacity, enabling Arqiva to enjoy great flexibility and efficiency for delivering the best possible content distribution solutions to their clients, alongside the benefits of AsiaSat satellites’ strong penetration in the Asian TV market.”

# # #

About Arqiva

Arqiva is a leading UK communications infrastructure and media services provider dedicated to connecting people wherever they are through the delivery of TV, radio, mobile and the Internet of Things (IoT). We are an independent provider of telecom towers, with circa 8,000 active sites across Great Britain, and are also the only supplier of national terrestrial television and radio broadcasting services in the UK. Our advanced networks support the exponential growth of connected devices and the ever-increasing demand for data from smartphones to tablets, connected TVs, smart meters, cars and medical devices. For more information, news and insights from Arqiva, please visit the website at: www.arqiva.com

About AsiaSat

Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), the leading satellite operator in Asia, serves over two-thirds of the world’s population with its six satellites, AsiaSat 3S, AsiaSat 4, AsiaSat 5, AsiaSat 6, AsiaSat 7 and AsiaSat 8. The AsiaSat satellite fleet serves both the broadcast and telecommunications industries. Over 700 television and radio channels are now delivered by the company’s satellites offering access to more than 830 million TV households across the Asia-Pacific region. AsiaSat’s next satellite, AsiaSat 9 is planned to be launched at the end of September 2017. AsiaSat is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, a company listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Stock Code: 1135). For more information, please visit www.asiasat.com | LinkedIn | Facebook | Mobile App

Media Contacts:

AsiaSat
Winnie Pang, Manager, Marketing Communications | Tel: (852) 2500 0880 | Email: wpang@asiasat.com

Arqiva
Tony Johnson, Media & PR Manager | Mobile: (41) 07773 045480 | Email: Tony.Johnson@arqiva.com

BBC Worldwide Asia today announced a deal that will, for the first time, see international news and current affairs television brand, BBC World News, premium factual brand BBC Earth and award winning pre-school channel, CBeebies available in Laos.

The channels, broadcast on Laosat DTH will available in the country’s 17 provinces including Vientiane.

“The pay TV market is set for high growth in the next few years. With our partnership with Laosat DTH, we are very pleased to be part of that growth, bringing our genre-defining content to viewers there,” said Myleeta Aga, SVP, South and South East Asia, BBC Worldwide.

There is a strong demand for BBC content in Laos,” said Mr. Ding Yongbing, General Manager of Laosat. “We are confident that with the addition of BBC World News, BBC Earth and CBeebies to our line-up, we are now able to deliver the best British and international content to our viewers here.”

Over the next few months, viewers of BBC Earth will be able to catch natural history landmarks like Blue Planet II, right after the UK telecast. The new seven-part series about our underwater worlds is produced by the multi-award-winning BBC Studios Natural History Unit and is narrated by Sir David Attenborough; the entertaining and informative Fishing Impossible (series two) sees three mad fishermen – an ex Royal Marine, a marine biologist, and a gadget-obsessed airline pilot, travel to some of the most remote places on Earth with their crazy-luring inventions, and Life Below Zero (series five) which follows the daily and seasonal activities of six people who live in the remotest areas of Alaska trying to survive in the below zero conditions, as they hunt and depend only on themselves and survive using the resources they have.

CBeebies, a multi-platform brand for pre-schoolers aged six years and under, encourages children to learn through play. The award-winning channel offers a mixture of new and classic titles to educate and entertain young audiences. Young viewers in Laos can look forward to programmes like Hey Duggee, the award-winning animated series aimed at two to five year olds in which Duggee, a big lovable dog, runs a club for pre-schoolers, that encourages children to have fun while discovering new things about the world around them; and Sarah & Duck, the multiple award-winning, 2D animated, pre-school series, which follows the curious adventures of seven-year-old Sarah and her loud, quacky friend Duck, as they explore the world around them in unexpected ways.

BBC World News is the BBC’s award-winning, 24-hour global news channel offering world-class international news and feature programmes from an unrivalled network of journalists. Bringing audiences agenda-setting programmes such as HARDtalk and Our World, and projects including 100 Women, BBC World News offers impartial and in-depth analysis of the news that matters most around the globe. With journalists in more places than any other international news broadcaster, BBC World News reports global breaking news whenever and wherever it happens and is the world’s most trusted international news outlet.

-Ends-

For more information, please contact:

Jeanne Leong
BBC Worldwide
Tel: +65 6849 5292
Email: Jeanne.Leong@bbc.com

Jessie Lim
BBC Worldwide
Tel: +65 6849 5295
Email: Jessie.Lim@bbc.com

ITV Choice has today announced the transmission date for the extra weekly episode of Coronation Street.

The first extra episode will air on Thursday September 21st – meaning Corrie fans get double helpings of their favourite soap on Thursdays every week.

And the first week of the new six episode double Thursday transmission pattern will kick off in fittingly spectacular style with the double wedding of Aidan, Eva, Jenny and Johnny.

The action packed week begins with Aidan Connor confessing his affair with Maria to fiancee Eva on the day of their wedding. Just when it looks as though she has decided to still go ahead with the marriage jilted mistress Maria gatecrashes the wedding in truly jaw dropping style.

What follows is one of the most sensational stunt-filled weddings the cobbles have ever seen.

But the drama is not confined to Aidan and Eva’s nuptials. Things don’t go quite to plan for Jenny and Johnny when Rita’s health takes a turn for the worse. As a concerned Jenny refuses to leave her hospital bedside it looks as though neither of the Connor men are going to manage to tie the knot.

One couple who did get to say ‘I Do’ are the newly married Norris and Mary Cole – this week they take part in the Mr and Mrs Quiz which was behind their decision to get married. They are taken aback when they meet the over enthusiastic organiser of the competition Colin Callen played by Jim Moir. Colin seems to be keen for them to win but is there more to the flamboyant NewsCo boss than meets the eye?

Meanwhile Michelle Connor makes a chilling discovery when she goes to the home of ex boyfriend Will for a drink only to stumble across a drawer full of photos of herself – has she finally discovered the identity of her stalker and can she get out unharmed?

It has been just over a year since ITV announced plans for Coronation Street to join the channel’s other soap Emmerdale in transmitting 6 episodes each week.

In preparation for the increase in episodes new studio space has been created. Construction of an expansion of the outside sets to give more exterior filming opportunities is also well under way and expected to be completed in early 2018, viewers should expect to be able to venture into wider Weatherfield on screen during spring 2018.

Coronation Street Executive producer Kieran Roberts said: “Getting ready to deliver our extra weekly episode has taken our amazing team more than a year of hard work on everything from story-lining to studio building. Now we’re thrilled to be launching our extra weekly episode at the heart of a truly unmissable week of high drama, high emotion and heartwarming comedy.”

Coronation​ ​Street​ ​airs​ ​Monday-Friday​ ​on​ ​ITV​ ​Choice 

IND: 16:15 MALTA/THAI: 17:45
TWN: 18:45 KSA: 19:45 UAE: 20:45

Extra​ ​weekly​ ​episode​ ​of​ ​Coronation​ ​Street​ ​starts​ ​Thursday​ ​21st​ ​September

IND: 15:45 MALTA/THAI: 17:15
TWN: 18:15 KSA: 19:15 UAE: 20:15 

For any other assets or for more details please contact: international.channels@itv.com

…a psychological portrait of Britain’s longest reigning monarch

Acclaimed biographer AN Wilson uncovers the intriguing personal life of Queen Victoria through her journals and letters in Queen Victoria’s Letters: A Monarch Unveiled; a two-part psychological portrait of Britain’s longest reigning monarch, airing on ITV Choice on Monday 4th September after the first episode of the brand new series of Victoria.

Examining the first half of Victoria’s life, Wilson goes in search of a monarch too often misunderstood as the solid black-clad matron, and reveals a woman who was passionately romantic and who spent her early years fighting the control of domineering men.

Queen Victoria was one of the nineteenth century’s most prolific diarists, sometimes writing up to 2,500 words a day. From state affairs to family gossip, she poured out her emotions onto paper. Those close to her were afraid her more alarming opinions might escape in written form, causing havoc. In fact much of her writing was destroyed after her death and her personal journals edited by her daughter. But what survives frequently reveals a woman quite different to the one we think we know.

AN Wilson reads her personal journals and unpublished letters and discovers the factors that shaped the Queen’s personality. From the tortured relationship with her mother, to the dominant men she clung to in search of a father figure and the powerful struggle that made her marriage to Prince Albert a battleground, Queen Victoria was always a woman in search of intimate relationships. As a daughter, a wife, a mother and the queen of a growing empire, as friends and family came and went, her pen remained her constant companion and friend.

By examining her closest relationships in the four decades after Albert’s death, Wilson tells the story of the Queen’s gradual freedom from a life spent under the shadow of domineering men. Victoria’s marriage had been a source of constraint as well as love, as Albert had used her pregnancies as a way to gain power and punished her for resenting it. In her widowhood, although bereft and deranged, Queen Victoria was free to move in the world of politics and make deep friendships without concern. From the controversial friendship with her highland servant John Brown to her most unconventional behaviour with her young Indian servant Abdul Karim, Wilson uncovers Victoria as a woman who was anything but ‘Victorian’. Far from being prim and proper, she loved life in all its richness – she was blind to class and colour and, contrary to what we think, had a great sense of humour.

Mondays​ ​from​ ​4th​ ​September 
 
IND: 19:25 MALTA/THAI: 20:55
KSA/TWN: 21:55 UAE: 22:55
 
For any other assets or for more details please contact: international.channels@itv.com