News Broadcasting
France 24 launches maiden HD service on AsiaSat 5
MUMBAI: France 24 has launched its first HD service in the world on AsiaSat 5. This marks a milestone for the expanded partnership between France 24 and AsiaSat and their continued commitment to bringing quality international television from France to the Asia-Pacific.
France 24 and AsiaSat have been partners since 2009 when France 24 launched its English language news channel into Asia. In 2010, France 24 further expanded its service with the addition of its French channel on AsiaSat 5. Through AsiaSat 5, France 24 now has access to more than 60 million TV households and close to 300,000 hotel guest rooms in Asia through key carriage agreements with major Asian cable networks, DTH and IPTV platforms, and hotels.
Broadcasting since 1 September, this new HD service transmits free-to-air in English, offering Asian viewers a brand new viewing experience of high quality culture, international news and current events from a French perspective.
Receive France 24’s HD and SD channels free-to-air on AsiaSat 5 (100.5°E) in C-band with the following reception parameters:
|
Reception Parameters |
FRANCE 24 HD |
FRANCE 24 SD (English & French channels) |
|---|---|---|
|
Transponder |
C11H |
C10H |
|
Downlink Frequency |
4040 MHz |
4000 MHz |
|
Downlink Polarisation |
Horizontal |
Horizontal |
|
Transmission Standard |
DVB-S2 |
DVB-S |
|
Compression Standard |
MPEG-4 |
MPEG-2 |
|
Modulation |
8PSK |
QPSK |
|
Symbol Rate |
29.72 Msym/sec |
28.125 Msym/sec |
|
FEC |
5/6 |
3/4 |
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
