News Broadcasting
No agreement, but IBF, MSOs continue discussions
NEW DELHI: The meetings that the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) panel had separately today with some of the MSOs in Delhi over various issues relating to conditional access system (CAS) proved to be inconclusive, though both the MSOs and the broadcasters said it was “positive step” in the right direction as such meetings had never been held in the past.
According to information available with indiantelevision.com, the various MSO representatives have asked for a distribution margin around 70 per cent, something which did bother the broadcasters whose point of view was that these margins are much above global trends.
According to an IBF source, “Our aim is simple: dispel the perception that broadcasters are against CAS. Rather, such meetings now will be an ongoing process and broadcasters would like to sort out contentious issues with the cable industry. After all, we are all part of the same big industry.”
The individual meetings went on for long and some more with big independent cable operators are also scheduled tomorrow. It seems that both the broadcasters and the cable industry want to go into tomorrow’s government-piloted task force meeting on CAS with something to show.
In the last task force meeting held about 10 days ago, the chairman of the task force, Rakesh Mohan, joint secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry, had requested the broadcasters and the cable industry to sort out issues like distribution margins amongst themselves so that the panel could take forward the implementation of CAS to its logical end.
Pointing out that the talks today did not bring out things in black and white, a senior representative of an MSO told indiantelevision.com that when queried on the individual pricing of channels in a bouquet, the IBF panel is reported to have said that this was an issue that should be discussed with individual broadcasters.
The IBF source said, “Now these discussions should be held individually with broadcasters as the plans each broadcaster are different.”
The broadcasters’ stand has been that unless the pricing of free to air channels in the basic tier in a post CAS regime is defined, it would be difficult to arrive at individual pricing of channels in a bouquet.
Various bouquets are priced differently and in most of them there are some ‘weak’ channels that ride the package. For example, the Zee Music channel in the Zee Turner bouquet or National Geographic Channel in the Star bouquet or Animal Planet in the One Alliance are considered `weak’ channels and the government has directed that when CAS is implemented the pricing of each channel should also be made public to be displayed by cable operators for the consumers’ benefit.
Star India representative during one of the meetings with Siti Cable is reported to have said that a 70 per cent distribution margin is on the higher side as the global trend puts the figure around between 50-55 per cent.
An MSO is also reported to have opined that if individual meetings with broadcasters need to take place then a time-bound schedule should also be given as this process may be time consuming.
The MSOs’ stand has been that unless the broadcasters sort out such issues they would be unable to firm up a business plan and order equipment needed for implementing CAS — again a matter that was discussed during the last task force meeting.
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.
