News Broadcasting
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to launch ET Now Swadesh
Mumbai: Times Network’s Hindi business news channel ET Now Swadesh will be inaugurated by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 4 October.
The channel has unveiled its editorial team and programming line-up ahead of the launch.
The editorial team of ET Now Swadesh will comprise a team of seasoned financial and business journalists including Mihir Bhatt, Pradeep Pandya, Kavita Thapliyal, and Priyanka Anand, led by Nikunj Dalmia as managing editor. ET Now Swadesh will offer content that empowers, engages, and educates viewers with financial knowledge to weave their growth into India’s success story. The channel leads with a powerful proposition ‘Badho Desh Ke Saath’ and promises to be a catalyst of growth, energising every discerning Indian to rise with India, said the statement.
The channel will launch a slew of interactive and engaging content that will aid viewers with money-making ideas every five minutes, detailed analysis and perspectives on stocks and commodities, investment opportunities, and personalised portfolio recommendations with insights and guidance from industry stalwarts like Nilesh Shah and Madhu Kela.
The channels morning time band between 8 a.m and 4 p.m brings nine distinct shows including “Khara Sauda,” “10 Ka Bazaar,” “Your Stocks,” “Commodity Now,” “F&O Junction,” “Midcap Masti,” “Corporate Connections,” “Stocks Fatafat,” and “Closing Sauda,” which will dedicatedly cover business and markets.
The morning primetime market show “Khara Sauda” beginning at 8 a.m will be hosted by Nikunj Dalmia, Mihir Bhatt, Pradeep Pandya, and Priyanka Anand. The show will offer viewers an in-depth analysis of the current market trends, the latest buzz in dealing rooms, insights on what brokerages are betting on, but also educate them on financial savings and creating long-term wealth and investments. The show will also have AI-dominated actionable ideas for the viewers and will feature the top voices from Dalal Street and India Inc.
In the evening starting at 8 p.m, the channel will air the show “Swadesh Hour” hosted by Nikunj Dalmia and Kavita Thapliyal. The one-hour special will capture all the key information and news of the day.
“While the pandemic presented unprecedented challenges worldwide, it has undoubtedly been an agent of radical change, to rethink and reimagine businesses and lives,” said Times Network managing director and chief executive officer MK Anand. “New streams including digital services and payments, financial and investment tools have emerged as the definitive factors that will pave the path to progress.”
“ET Now Swadesh will pioneer a new revolution of financial empowerment and progress for crores of Hindi speaking viewers,” he added.
The network will roll out a high decibel marketing campaign in key Hindi speaking markets and will run a month-long promotion across TV, outdoor, print, trade, social media, and leading digital platforms. The network’s outdoor promotion spans over 120 key locations in Delhi and Mumbai. The network is set to splash its print ads across leading Hindi, English, and financial dailies along with a series of trade promotions and engagement. A special brand film capturing the genesis of the channel will be released on the launch day across network channels and social media platforms.
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.
