News Broadcasting
Planet-ary applause as Sony BBC Earth honours Attenborough at 99
MUMBAI: From jungles to ice caps, volcanoes to urban sprawls Sir David Attenborough has taken us everywhere without leaving the sofa. This 8 May, Sony BBC Earth rolls out the green carpet for the voice that has defined nature storytelling for generations. As Sir David Attenborough turns 99, the channel will celebrate the global treasure with a 12-hour programming marathon featuring his most iconic works from awe-inspiring jungles to icy wilderness, and the whispering secrets of plants to the thunder of migrating herds.
Running from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, the tribute includes classics like Life, Planet Earth II, and Seven Worlds, One Planet, alongside newer gems like Mammals, The Green Planet, and the visually dazzling Planet Earth III.
The special programming will feature a marathon of acclaimed series and episodes, including:
• LIFE: This breathtaking series explores the glorious variety of life on Earth and the spectacular and extraordinary tactics animals and plants have developed to stay alive.
• LIFE STORY: Narrated from the lens of animals, this captivating series follows their journey from birth to parenthood. Each episode focuses on one stage of life, starting with the early days to the challenges of the grown-up world.
• Frozen Planet II: Frozen Planet II explores Earth’s icy realms, showcasing the incredible wildlife that inhabits them. The series delves into the unique challenges and adaptations of life in these extreme, frozen environments.
• Planet Earth II: Exploring the diverse habitats and animal life found across the globe, Planet Earth II highlights the challenges animals face in a changing world. From bustling cities to remote islands, the series reveals the wonders of our planet.
• The Green Planet: The series offers a unique perspective on the world of plants and their complex lives. It explores their intricate relationships and surprising behaviours of how plants communicate, defend, and reproduce, revealing a lesser-known world to viewers
• Mammals: The series reveals their unique adaptations, survival strategies, and complex social behaviours of mammals – from the smallest shrew to the largest whale. Sir David Attenborough uncovers the secrets of their success in every corner of the planet.
• Seven Worlds, One Planet: Unveiling the unique wildlife and habitats of each of Earth’s continents, each episode showcases the distinct evolutionary journeys and survival struggles found on these seven diverse landmasses. The series captures the breathtaking beauty and fragility of our planet’s continents.
• A Perfect Planet: A Perfect Planet examines the powerful natural forces that shape our planet. The series reveals how interconnected systems like weather, oceans, and volcanoes create the conditions for life to thrive. Sir David Attenborough explores how these forces work in harmony.
• Planet Earth III: Showcasing the wonders of the natural world in stunning detail, this series delivers breathtaking footage of our planet’s most extraordinary landscapes and creatures. It also addresses the pressing challenges facing wildlife in our rapidly changing world.
Expect breathtaking cinematography, moving narratives, and gentle reminders of the beauty and vulnerability of the natural world. Series like Frozen Planet II and A Perfect Planet go beyond pretty pictures, diving into the science behind nature’s resilience and the fragile harmony keeping life on Earth ticking.
Each episode is a window into a different world, narrated with Attenborough’s signature blend of wonder, wisdom, and urgency. Whether it’s a baby penguin’s first slide on ice or the slow-motion unfurling of a rainforest fern, his storytelling makes even the smallest detail feel monumental.
So if you’re in the mood to be awed, educated, and deeply moved, tune in on 8 May. It’s not just a birthday bash, it’s a masterclass in seeing the world through the eyes of someone who’s spent a lifetime making us care about it.
News Broadcasting
Senior media executive Madhu Soman exits Zee Media
Former Reuters and Bloomberg leader says he leaves with “no regrets” after brief stint at WION and Zee Business
NOIDA: Madhu Soman, a veteran of global newsrooms and media sales floors, has stepped away from Zee Media Corporation after a short stint steering business strategy for WION and Zee Business.
In a reflective LinkedIn note marking his departure, Soman said his time within the network’s corridors was always likely to be brief. “Some chapters close faster than expected,” he wrote, signalling the end of a nearly two-year spell in which he oversaw both editorial partnerships and commercial strategy.
Soman joined Zee Media in 2022 after more than a decade abroad with Reuters and Bloomberg, returning to India to take on the role of chief business officer for WION and Zee Business. His mandate was ambitious: bridge the newsroom and the revenue desk while expanding digital and broadcast reach.
During the stint, Zee Business reached break-even for the first time since its launch in 2005, while WION refreshed programming and strengthened its digital footprint across platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
But Soman suggested the cultural fit proved uneasy. Describing himself as a “cultural misfit”, he hinted at deeper tensions between editorial instincts shaped in global newsrooms and the realities of India’s television news ecosystem.
Before joining Zee, Soman spent more than seven years at Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales for Asia-Pacific, expanding the company’s news syndication business across several markets. Earlier, he held senior editorial roles at Reuters, overseeing online strategy in India and managing Reuters Video Services from London.
His career began in television and wire reporting, including a stint with ANI during the 1999 Kargil conflict, before moving into digital publishing as India’s internet media landscape took shape.
Now, after nearly three decades in broadcast and digital media, Soman is leaving Delhi NCR and returning to his hometown, Trivandrum.
Exhausted, he admits. But unbowed. And with one quiet line that sums up the journey: he didn’t sell his soul — because some things, after all, are not for sale.
