News Broadcasting
Beat that ESS tells Sony, announces OCSI rights acquisition
NEW DELHI: It’s war out there in the cricket broadcasting arena. Sony Entertainment Television may have ICC cricket, including the next two World Cups, but for sheer breadth of coverage, it is ESPN Star Sports (ESS) that has it.
ESS, a joint venture between ESPN Asia and Star Group, today announced the acquisition of telecast rights of all international cricket from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and England (the OCSI territories) for a period of five years from 2003 to 2008. Estimated cost of acquisition: around to $ 140 million.
With the acquisition of 805 days of additional days of cricket telecast of 110 tests and one-day internationals in which India will feature in 17 tests and one-day series. The broadcast will go out to millions of fans across India and other countries that are covered by the footprint of the Asiasat 3 satellite. The total number of days of cricket with ESS now amount to 1,108 days of cricket till 2007, compared to about 153 days of cricket telecast rights that has been bagged by Sony Entertainment TV India till 2007 which includes the two cricket World Cups.
ESS is also set to announce within two weeks new programming and marketing initiatives to exploit the total number of cricket telecast days it has at its disposal.
“With this acquisition we hope to maintain the our leadership position (where telecasting of sports events are concerned) in India,” Manu Sawhney, managing director of ESPN Software India told indiantelevision.com after a press conference in Delhi.
Though Sawhney put forward a defensive bat of “no comment” to a query on the acquisition cost of the additional cricket telecast rights, broadcasting industry sources indicated that it was around $ 140 million. The deal, signed on Saturday, has had numbers thrown up that put the cost even as high as $ 200 million. Compare that to the $ 24 million ESS paid out in September 1999 for the telecast rights for the four cricket boards Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe (England was not included as part of the OCSI bid then) from 2000 to 2004 and that gives some idea as to just how competitive this business is. Also, $ 24 million was seen as an astronomical figure to pay for cricket rights then. But then there were more competing bids what with ESS, the Zee Network, Vatsa Television Network and a number of air-time buyers like Stracon India and 21st Century Media all in the race. This time round only three players were seen as bidders for the rights – ESS, Sony Entertainment Television and Ten Sports.
“ESS has held an unparalleled leadership in sports broadcasting across Asia and India over the past six years. The acquisition of this multi-cricket broad deal demonstrates the continued long-term commitment of the shareholders of ESS (to the Indian and Asian market at large),” an ESS statement quoting Rik Dovey, managing director of ESS, said.
The cricket rights include 203 days of cricket from Australia covering tours by India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, England, Zimbabwe and New Zealand; 145 days of cricket from South Africa, 207 days of cricket from England, including tours by India, Australia, SA and Pakistan; 120 days of cricket from New Zealand and 130 days of cricket from Zimbabwe.
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.
