News Broadcasting
Pacific Century Matrix looking to penetrate Indian market
Hong Kong-based satellite broadband service provider Pacific Century Matrix (PCM) is looking at forging alliances through one or more partners to offer its product in the country.
At the Workshop on DVB and Internet Protocol which took place in Delhi, PCM’s India head Sandeep Bhargava told indiantelevision.com today that it was looking at increasing its customer-base in India.
Bhargava disclosed that the current list of customers of the company includes Internet Service Providers and even some broadcasters. He however added: “But I cannot tell you the names now as it is a competitive business and we are in the process of establishing a full-fledged operation in India.”
Senior V-P business development of PCM Patrick Yeung said that it would be more advantageous for the company to develop business relationships in markets like India rather than operate out of the headquarters based in Hong Kong.
PCM’s suite of innovative satellite solutions is designed to meet the most demanding of communications requirements. With access to over 110 million connected households, PCM claims to provide direct access into the homes of some 400 million viewers and users.
The video broadcasting services include:
1. Turnaround of foreign TV programmes from international regions to Asia pacific in analog and digital format.
2. Broadcasting on satellites to high-demand neighbourhoods.
3. One-off services as well as occasional use for special events and satellite news gathering.
The company founded in 1999, is a joint venture between Richard Li-promoted Pacific Century Group and European Aeronautics Defence & Space Company (EADS). The joint venture is a facility-based telecommunications services operator offering DVB/IP broadcasting services for TV broadcasters, a range of one-way and interactive broadband data delivery and network management end-to-end solutions for multimedia business, content and service providers.
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.
