MUMBAI: Infotainment channel History TV18 and news channel CNN IBN have announced the judges for the initiative ?The Greatest Indian?.

The show format is based on a ground breaking series featured on BBC called ?The Greatest Briton?. The initiative will look to answer the question of who the greatest Indian is and what does it take to be called ?Great?? The parties had formally announced the initiative in February.

The first phase of initiative comprises a jury selecting some of the Greatest Indians who have shaped the nation. The jury comprises personalities like N. Ram (former Editor-In-Chief of The Hindu), Vinod Mehta (Editor-in-Chief of Outlook), Soli Sorabjee (Former Attorney General of India), Sharmila Tagore (Bollywood actress and former Chairperson of the Censor Board of India), Harsha Bhogle (sports) and Chetan Bhagat (author).

The jury would be entrusted the task of limiting the poll list to 50 Great Indians out of a preeminent list of such 100 super achievers. The list of 50 will then be released for a nationwide poll curtain raiser on 4 July by CNN IBN Editor in Chief Rajdeep Sardesai.

MUMBAI: Asian pay-TV association Casbaa has congratulated Australian police for a dramatic raid on a pirate TV syndicate operating in Australia via high-capacity Internet servers based in China.

The raid on the B&L LED Sign company in Hurstville, in the suburbs of Sydney, signaled the latest stage in a long term campaign to track down the promoters and users of Internet-based networks distributing illegal TV signals in Australia. Based on the cash raked in by the Hurstville operation, police estimated that 150 million Australian Dollars could have been effectively stolen from the legitimate TV distribution industry by multinational criminal gangs.

Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, "This time the primary victim was TVB Australia, and the Hurstville police have done a great job to get this far. And so has TVB Australia, which brought the initial information to them."

TVB, based in Hong Kong, creates and sells Chinese-language TV programming, distributing its programming in Australia through a satellite-based pay-TV service, TVB Australia. The piracy network was stealing and reselling TV signals from TVB as well as a host of other international pay-TV channels, in English as well as Chinese.

Other channels distributed included high-value TV networks such as CNN, ESPN, MTV, Discovery, National Geographic, HBO, Fox and the BBC, alongside a library of Video on Demand shows and movies not yet released on legal DVDs -- all streamed from China directly to the user‘s TV set.

Police said they will file charges that carry heavy fines and potential maximum jail terms of five years. They will also interview homeowners who have received the stolen programming, some of whom may face charges themselves.

Increases in broadband penetration throughout Asia are making it easier for criminals to steal TV programming they do not own, and to re-sell to others. Too often, consumers sign up as accomplices in the theft. "Australia has strong laws to protect copyrighted broadcasts including holding end-users responsible for the consumption of stolen signals" said Davies

Casbaa held up the Hurstville raid as evidence that Australia is committed to enforcing its laws, and that policing there is effective. "We wish that other governments in this region would demonstrate the same commitment as Australia to preventing misuse of the Internet for TV piracy The problem is only going to grow, if other governments don‘t get serious" added Davies.

NEW DELHI: Singer KJ Yesudas was honoured with the outstanding achievement award for being India?s celestial singer having recorded over 50,000 songs in a five-decade career by CNN-IBN.

The award was part of sixth edition of the CNN-IBN?s annual Indian of the Year Award.

The team of Sony?s ?Kaun Banega Crorepati? and its host Amitabh Bachchan received the award for redefining the genre of reality television and an outstanding presentation style.

The guests of Honour included former Attorney General of India Soli Sorabji; Mark Tully; former Chief Justice of India Justice JS Verma; former cricket captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth; Major General Lacchaman Singh Lehl, Commodore Vijay Jerath - Vir Chakra and Brij V Mahalingam.

Awards were also given away in other categories including political, public service, business, Indian of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award among others.

CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, "CNN-IBN Indian of the Year is an earnest effort to appreciate the tasks undertaken by these gifted luminaries and their allegiance in making India shine. They have been effective instruments of change in bringing India into the new age. We congratulate all the winners for their extraordinary contribution to the country."