News Broadcasting
CASBAA adds ten new convergence members
The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) is expanding its membership list to include New Economy corporations and telcos as well as traditional pay-TV players.
In early July, Hong Kong-listed Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCCW) joined CASBAA as a Patron Member, the highest level of membership. Patron Membership grants a company an automatic seat on the CASBAA Board of Directors. On July 1, PCCW (www.pcg-group.com) launched a regional Broadband service, Network of the World, distributed via cable and satellite to TVs as well as PCs.
Also new to the Association is Hong Kong-listed cellular phone system operator Sunday Communications, which is examining opportunities for a 3G Broadband license in Hong Kong and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, financial and business information service Bloomberg LP (www.bloomberg.com/asia) has upgraded its membership from Associate status to Patron level and will also take a seat on the CASBAA Board of Directors.
Other new CASBAA members include:
Sony Pictures Entertainment’s regional pay-TV channel AXN Action TV which has joined CASBAA as a corporate member (www.axn-asia.com)
UK-based satellite communications consultancy Communications Systems Ltd. (Comsys) (www.comsys.co.uk)
Bombay-based media investor UTV’s Vijay TV, which recently launched its Sharkstream broadband service (www.utvnet.com)
Hong Kong-based Internet content provider WebArts TV.com (www.asianartnews.com)
Hong Kong-based Asia Pacific Vision, a group that provides satellite up linking services as well as video production services (www.apvweb.com)
Asia Capacity Exchange, a consortium that provides online bandwidth exchange services (www.ace-asia.com).
CSM Sofres, a leading market research group specialising broadcast media with a special interest in China among other Asian markets (www.csm.com.cn)
X [Ventures], led by Bangkok-based entrepreneur Jeff Blatt, provides consulting and representation services for clients in the satellite, broadcasting, Internet, multimedia, high technology and venture capital industries (www.xventures.com)
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.
