News Broadcasting
BBC. HBO to collaborate on ‘Tsunami’ drama
MUMBAI: Following the success of Rome, the BBC and HBO will collaborate on a two part drama that deals with the tsunami tragedy and the events that followed.
Tim Roth, Toni Collette, Sophie Okonedo are among the actors that will star. The drama will focus on the aftermath of the cataclysmic natural disaster.
Developed and written by Abi Morgan, Tsunami is a Kudos production for BBC Two and HBO Films and will air later this year.
A tale of personal loss, Tsunami follows a group of fictitious characters whose lives are irrevocably transformed by the natural disaster. Based on extensive research and interviews, the drama explores how governments, the media and aid agencies respond, when without warning, they are tested by a natural disaster of this scale.
The drama will also tackle the relationship between mankind and nature.
Kudos has been collaborating with local communities and the piece will feature a variety of locations and landmarks affected by the tsunami. Filming on location in Phuket and Khao Lak has commenced.
BBC controller of drama commissioning Jane Tranter says, “A thought provoking drama of loss, survival and hope, Tsunami is another example of BBC Drama’s commitment to deliver ambitious and distinctive projects that reflect the world in which we live by delving into the headlines and revealing the stories behind them.”
Kudos executive producer and joint MD Jane Featherstone says, “The catastrophic events of Boxing day 2004 had a profound and lasting effect on people across the globe. Through meticulously researching real life events, real people and working closely with the survivor groups Abi has written a wonderful, powerful drama that purposely asks what mankind can learn from the event, as well as reflecting on the far reaching emotional and political repercussions of that fateful day.”
BBC Two controller Roly Keating says, “It is a tribute to the power of Abi’s writing that such an extraordinary cast has come together for this important TV event.”
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.
