News Broadcasting
NDTV India lays claim to No. 2 Hindi news channel status
MUMBAI: By the looks of it, there has been a change of baton as far as the Number 2 position in the Hindi news channel space is concerned.
Nine months after launch, NDTV India has consolidated its position and is the clear second behind leader Aaj Tak, asserts Raj Nayak, chief executive of NDTV Media, the marketing and ad sales concern that was set up to coincide with the launch of NDTV India and NDTV 24×7 last March.
Quoting TAM Media data for the last one month for the key adult male 25+ demographic, Nayak says that on both cumulative reach and channel share, only Aaj Tak remains ahead of NDTV India. What is important to note here, says Nayak, is that this data is for a one-month period and not some one-off.
TAM data culled between 7 December 2003 and 3 January 2004 shows that NDTV India has gone ahead of chief rival Star News on all key parameters, says Nayak. The data covers Hindi speaking markets among men 25+ ABC.
Cumulative reach: Aaj Tak heads the table with 68.4 per cent reach followed by NDTV India at 59.5, Star News 53.4, Zee News 48.9 and Sahara Samay 44.5.
Absolute channel shares: Aaj Tak 2.99, NDTV India 1.41, Star News 1.37, Zee News 1.26, DD News 0.93 and Sahara Samay 0.61.
Evening prime time (6 pm to 12 pm): Aaj Tak 2.9, NDTV India 1.43, Star News 1.28, Zee News 1.17, DD News 0.92 and Sahara Samay 0.58.
As data goes however, it is channel share in the morning prime time (6 am to 9 am) that has thrown up the most surprising data. Aaj Tak at 4.83 leads all comers among men 25+ ahead even of usual suspect Star Plus. Following Aaj Tak in the second slot is Sony Entertainment with 4.34, then Zee Cinema 2.88 (guys watch movies in the mornings?), DD 1 2.87 and Star Plus at 2.42. What works for Sony is the devotional fare which is its staple in the mornings. Taking the devotional aspect into account, it would be worth following what ratings the religious channels get in the mornings.
Coming back to the news channels. In the mornings as well, it is NDTV India that comes second at 2.08. Zee News is third in this time slot at 1.89, Star News 1.84, DD News 1.22 and Sahara Samay brings up the rear at 0.64.
According to Nayak, the success of NDTV India is borne out by the number of advertisers that are now on the channel. There are 255 brands on NDTV India of which 59 are exclusive to the Hindi news channel, he states.
Dr Prannoy Roy’s aim to reach out beyond India’s English speaking “classes” looks to be working and with the elections around the corner, the team at NDTV India would be hoping to build on it.
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.
