News Broadcasting
NDTV India runs Aaj Tak close on budget day
MUMBAI: Aaj Tak continues to reign supreme in the Hindi news channel stakes but the challenge posed by NDTV India is getting stiffer. On budget day – 8 July – Aaj Tak maintained its leadership position with a channel share of 32 per cent (CS4+ Hindi Speaking markets) for the whole day ahead of NDTV India, which notched up a market share of 29 per cent.
Looking at the whole day (9 am to 10 pm) however, both Aaj Tak and NDTV India were neck and neck at 31 per cent as far as channel share was concerned.
Star News, DD News and Zee News had a market share of 10 per cent each on 8 July in the above mentioned market for the whole day part. Whereas Sahara Samay managed a market share of 8 per cent.
According to Tam data, Aaj Tak and NDTV India were neck and neck with 31% market share on 8 July (Union budget) in the CS4+ Hindi speaking market during the whole day part According to Tam, Aaj Tak gathers 32% market share on 8 July in the CS4+ Hindi speaking market between 9 am to 10 pm, whereas NDTV India manages 29% market share in the same market
On the day of the Railway budget (6 July), however, Aaj Tak had a solid lead over rival NDTV India by 12 per cent with a market share of 34 per cent. NDTV India was second in line among the Hindi news channels with a market share of 22 per cent. Star News gathered a market share of 14 per cent, followed closely behind by DD News with 13 per cent.
According to Tam data, on 6 July (Railway budget) Aaj Tak’s market share was 34 per cent whereas that of NDTV India was 22 per cent in the CS4+ Hindi speaking market during the whole day part
According to an official release issued by Aaj Tak, its live and exclusive interview with the Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on the day of the Railway budget pushed its market share to a phenomenal 54 per cent during that time.
Commenting on the channel’s performance, Aaj Tak’s marketing manager Rajesh Sheshadri was quoted in the release as saying, “Whenever there is an event of great importance, the nation tunes into the nations best news channel. We understand the needs of today’s viewers and provide them with in-depth programming. Right from the policy-makers strategy to the common mans perspective – Aaj Tak was able to provide a complete picture of the budget.”
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.
