News Broadcasting
BVITV announces three agreements at MIPCOM
CANNES: Buena Vista International Television (BVITV), the distribution arm of Walt Disney Television International, has announced three deals at the ongoing MIPCOM summit at Cannes. The deals are with Irish terrestrial broadcaster RTE, Germany’s ARD and GMA7 Philippines.
According to the agreement introduced by BVITV to RTÉ, younger viewers across Ireland will be able to enjoy two new action-packed Jetix animated series. This was announced today by EMEA, BVITV vice president sales Alison Homewood and RTE director of broadcast and acquisitions Dermot Horan. Included in the agreement are shows ‘Sonic X and Tutenstein.
Tutenstein will also travel to Germany, according to the new licensing agreement introduced by BVITV to public broadcaster ARD. The agreement was announced by Homewood and NDR head of department, children & family Angelika Paetow.
BVITV’s licensing agreement with Philippines terrestrial broadcaster GMA7 is for features and series. The announcement was made by BVITV-AP VP and GM Steve Macalliste and GMA Worldwide Inc. VP Roxanne Barcelona. With this agreement, viewers in the Philippines will now be able to watch a variety of recent library features such as the action-adventure Shanghai Noon, the blockbuster Kiss of the Dragon and the fun-filled comedy 102 Dalmations. Also included in the agreement is the hit reality series, Extreme Makeover.
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.
