News Broadcasting
BBC’s show ‘Robin Hood’ racks up interest around the world
MUMBAI: Following its successful launch on UK television this weekend, attracting over eight million viewers, BBC Worldwide announces that it has already racked up a string of international television sales for the show Robin Hood. It has managed to secure deals in major territories including the US, France, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Spain and Portugal. Further deals are being concluded in Cannes this week.
The Tiger Aspect show which has been co-produced with BBC America is available in full HD. BBC Worldwide’s brand team has worked in close partnership with Foz Allan and Dominic Minghella, the Tiger Aspect creators of the show, a collaboration which has made possible a 360 degree launch, with deals concluded for DVD, Children’s books, Audiobooks and Toys. DVDs and books deals were concluded in time for products to be on the shelves for Christmas. A soundtrack deal has also been concluded this week featuring music from Andy Price.
BBC Worldwide’s independent unit director Helen Jackson, Director says: “Robin Hood might be an English legend, but Tiger Aspect’s fantastic contemporary production resonates with modern audiences across the world. The cross-platform deals we’ve done so far reflect this and we’re looking forward to encouraging further sales at Mipcom.”
Robin Hood is one of BBC Worldwide’s key drama titles for the television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France alongside ITV1’s £6 million new science fiction drama Primeval.
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.
