MUMBAI: TIMES NOW, the acknowledged leader and trendsetter in news, has vanquished its closest competitors with its coverage of the Interim Budget 2009 yet again as it did during the Union Budget 2008 coverage. TIMES NOW has achieved dominance not only in the English news category but also beaten CNBC in the business news genre.

TIMES NOW, with its viewership share of 24% during the Interim Budget this year, beat CNBC TV18 second year in a row by a 2% margin same as that of last year and other English News channels like NDTV 24*7 and CNN IBN were left lagging behind with 11% and 13% shares. TIMES NOW has doubled its lead over NDTV 24x7 whose viewership fell from 17% last year to a meager 11% during this year‘s Interim Budget Day and a significant 11% lead over CNN IBN thereby setting new benchmarks in dominating big events.

Commenting on the occasion Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-chief, TIMES NOW said, "This year TIMES NOW‘s unparalleled interim budget programming was led by India‘s best known business anchors, with analysis by India‘s most respected economic experts and views from Industry leaders gave viewers a balanced perspective of the Interim Budget. TIMES NOW‘s ability to demystify the intricacies of the interim Budget along with its viewer-friendly graphics makes it the only choice for viewers when it comes to news.

The clear focus on news, the ability to balance expertise with relevance and an unmatched passion for news is the reason for the viewers making TIMES NOW their "only choice".

MUMBAI: India‘s most trusted matrimony portal with over 15 million registered members today announced its partnership with IDEA Cellular, one of the leading mobile operator with over 40 million subscribers, to launch customized matrimony services for mobile users. IDEA subscribers can access Bharatmatrimony?s services on their GPRS enabled handsets, across the country.

Bharatmatrimony.com has customized its services for IDEA Cellular keeping in mind the unique needs of subscribers. A range of services and sections on the website, such as searching for prospective brides and grooms; viewing individual profile, ?Express interest? etc will be available free of cost to IDEA subscribers.

For further browsing and accessing information; writing personalized messages; and sharing contact information with others on the website ? IDEA subscribers can avail exciting subscription plans. For just Rs. 100 per month, subscribers will get to view unlimited profiles and access 5 contacts free of cost. The service can be accessed on IDEA?s WAP portal http://wap.ideafresh.com or at http://idea.bharatmatrimony.com on the mobile internet browser by selecting Idea GPRS option.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Pradeep Shrivastava, Chief Marketing Officer, IDEA Cellular said ?IDEA has always been at the forefront of offering the most innovative and exciting ?Internet on Mobile? experience for our subscribers. With the launch of BharatMatrimony.com on the IdeaFresh portal, we are extending our mobile internet footprint into the matrimonial segment, engaging our users with a Mobile-As-Matchmaker experience. By added focus on the regional matrimonial aspect to IDEA?s version of BharatMatrimony, we are confident of making this service relevant and user-centric for a larger section of our users, across the country.?

According to Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder & CEO, Consim InfoPvt Ltd- (Consumer services through internet & mobile)-the parent company which hosts a set of portals from matrimony to property, ?At CONSIM, we are constantly looking to go beyond the Internet and reach out to a wider range of consumers through all possible digital channels. IDEA Cellular?s innovative approach to delivering WAP services provides us a sound platform to serve the rapidly growing mobile users in India?.

?Another interesting feature is that we have integrated this with our web offering, thus allowing both sets of customers to seamlessly interact across mediums?, added Murugavel Janakiraman.

A pioneer and market leader of matrimonial services in both online and offline space, BharatMatrimony is constantly striving to better its services with changing times and technology. Bharatmatrimony.com was the first to launch matrimony services through a SMS portal in 2004.

MUMBAI: Mumbai witnessed history being created as over 20,000 cartoon network fans packed the Andheri Sports Complex to cheer for their favourite Toon stars at Cartoon Network‘s Toon Cricket -The Battle for the Omnitrix in partnership with leading sports brand, Reebok. In a true cartoony version of the 2009 cricket season, Cartoon Network‘s all-time favourite hero Ben 10 led his team, The Bentastics, to a victory over defending champions, MaxiMojo, in India‘s first day and night Toon Cricket match. Playing the wild card entries for the Bentastics and Maximojo teams, were the Reebok brand ambassadors and ace cricketers - Rahul Dravid and Piyush Chawla. The duo were seen in full cricketing action as they played with the Toon teams.

In its sixth successful run, Cartoon Network‘s most celebrated event fulfilled its promise of maximum fun and excitement as our world famous Toons captained by the youngest superhero Ben Tennyson from Ben 10 and the evil Mojo Jojo, from The Powerpuff Girls battled at the pitch. Adding to the excitement and experience of the evening was the Toon Cricket inaugural ceremony that entertained the audiences with a sound and laser show and a live-performance by the amazing pop band "Aasma" which left them asking for more!

Ecstatic kids present at the packed stadium cheered their favourite toons till the nail-biting finish. Leading the victorious team with a Toon Century, Captain Ben Tennyson received the Omnitrix amid much cheer from the spectators. The ever popular Ben Tennyson stole the limelight and the hearts of his fans with some brilliant bowling skills in the bowl out, while the opposition Captain, MaxiMojo hit only a zero! This year‘s ‘Toon Cricket -The Battle for the Omnitrix‘ was a quest to find the true keeper of the Omnitrix (the mysterious watch that gives Ben Tennyson, of the iconic series, Ben 10, his super hero abilities) and each inning had five overs of four balls each. In an effort to fulfill his desire to take over the world, Mojo Jojo has stolen the Omnitrix from Ben 10! As a result, the young superhero had challenged Mojo to a T-20 style cricket match.

Toon Cricket is amongst one of the biggest initiatives planned for Cartoon network for 2009 and is created for kids in India who love their Toons as much as the game of Cricket. The event was co-sponsored by Nutrine Maha Choco and Parle-G. Reebok was the sports partner and McDonalds Happy Meal, Boomer, Parachute Starz, Zapak, Berger Paints and Kissan Ketchup were the Associate Sponsors.

The grand prize winner of the Toon Cricket on-air contest was Avni Narayan from Mumbai. Avni was treated like a superstar with her family being escorted in a sleek S-class Mercedes filled with bundles of surprises that include exclusive Cartoon Network goodies. At the venue, they were seated in a VIP enclosure with the best view of the field. Further, adding to her superstar journey, Avni met for a special tete-a-tete with Cartoon Network toons including Ben 10 and Tom & Jerry after the match.

Now in its sixth successful year, ‘Toon Cricket‘ is a unique sporting event in India, conceptualized by Cartoon Network. First held in 1999, ‘Toon Cricket‘ gives kids a chance to watch their pet sport being played by their favourite Cartoon Network Toons. In the past, Toon Cricket has received an overwhelming response amongst kids - with a live audience of over 60,000 present at the ‘Toon Cricket 2003‘ match at Mumbai.

MUMBAI: With three of the four ongoing series live and exclusive on Ten Sports, the most watched sports channel in the Sub-continent, cricket fans are in for a feast.

The most anticipated series of the year, Australia?s tour of South Africa, which begins with the first Test on Thursday, February 26, at The Wanderers, is the one with the highest stakes. Ten Sports is also the home for ongoing Sri Lanka?s tour of Pakistan, as well as England?s trip to the West Indies.

Live telecast of the ultimate cricket battle of the year starts Thursday, February 26, from 2:00 pm IST, preceded by a half-hour preview show.

Australia, the most dominant Test and One Day International team for decades, will square up for a three Test, five ODI and two Twenty20 series with revenge in mind after the stunning loss at home in both Tests and ODIs earlier this year.

Australia and South Africa are ranked No1 and No2 in the ICC Test rankings, and Ricky Ponting?s team can lose the pride of place if they lose the series. In ODIs, the rankings are reversed after South Africa?s recent win in Australia, but Graeme Smith?s men can rest assured of retaining that spot even if they lose the ODI series.

Like Australia, who are reeling after two successive series losses to India and South Africa, the home team also have a point to prove to the touring side. Having humbled the Aussies on their home turf, they will be keen to continue the good work and keep up their winning streak. They will also want that coveted top spot in Test cricket.

South Africa?s recent Test record at The Wanderers is patchy. Australia?s won their last Test here in 2006, when they successfully chased 292 to win in their second innings. India and England have also won Test matches on this ground.

While as many as four newcomers are vying for places in the Australian team, the Proteas are looking well-balanced. Their bowling line-up, led by the dangerous Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini, would be their biggest advantage, while Australia is sure to miss the services of Brett Lee and Stuart Clark. South African batting line-up, in which five of the top six have averaged more than 50 over the past year, are expected to have an upper hand.