News Broadcasting
SABTNL gets a grip on DD Metro prime time
MUMBAI: Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd is again trying to milk its old cash cow. That too without all the glam and snazz that marked the HFCL Nine Gold takeover of prime time on national broadcaster Doordarshan’s Metro channel at an astronomical Rs 1210 million for the 7 pm to 10 pm prime time band. Clearly when it comes to dealing with DD, SABTNL understands the dynamics of operations like no other.
It has bought up three hours worth of prime time slots on DD Metro from 8:00 pm to 10:30 pm except the 9:30 pm slot (which will be with them in short time) from Monday to Friday.
In the afternoon band as well, the network has bought the 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm one-hour slot.
According to Kiran Murthy, V-P sales (DD), SABTNL, it is a long term association that the network was looking at. “Nobody can make money in a short time on Metro. The channel itself is going through a transition stage after the Channel Nine shakeout, wherein advertisers had turned off the channel,” says Murthy.
There are a lot of positives that DD metro offers, says Murthy. Many advertisers are willing to advertise on Metro for the simple reason that the channel has a presence in 18 metro cities and is reaching viewers who have buying power, he says. “We are getting bookings from Chennai from brands like Cavin Care and Medicare which are very choosy in buying. They are very much on Metro.” The additional advantage that the Adhikaris have is a proven track record on DD, he adds.
And SABTNL is not just looking at DD Metro as a source for programming opportunities. It is also looking south for expansion. Its entry into this market will be made through a Tamil serial that is based on its superhit crime thriller on DD National Suraag. This show is set to premiere on Sun TV. The Sun Network is what SABTNL is looking at probably because Kalanithi Maran’s network has a system similar to that of DD that calls for taking up slots on the channel and the producer keeping the rights. Apart from Tamil, SABTNL has also bought slots on Sun’s Telugu channels Gemini and Udaya TV.
News Broadcasting
Senior media executive Madhu Soman exits Zee Media
Former Reuters and Bloomberg leader says he leaves with “no regrets” after brief stint at WION and Zee Business
NOIDA: Madhu Soman, a veteran of global newsrooms and media sales floors, has stepped away from Zee Media Corporation after a short stint steering business strategy for WION and Zee Business.
In a reflective LinkedIn note marking his departure, Soman said his time within the network’s corridors was always likely to be brief. “Some chapters close faster than expected,” he wrote, signalling the end of a nearly two-year spell in which he oversaw both editorial partnerships and commercial strategy.
Soman joined Zee Media in 2022 after more than a decade abroad with Reuters and Bloomberg, returning to India to take on the role of chief business officer for WION and Zee Business. His mandate was ambitious: bridge the newsroom and the revenue desk while expanding digital and broadcast reach.
During the stint, Zee Business reached break-even for the first time since its launch in 2005, while WION refreshed programming and strengthened its digital footprint across platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
But Soman suggested the cultural fit proved uneasy. Describing himself as a “cultural misfit”, he hinted at deeper tensions between editorial instincts shaped in global newsrooms and the realities of India’s television news ecosystem.
Before joining Zee, Soman spent more than seven years at Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales for Asia-Pacific, expanding the company’s news syndication business across several markets. Earlier, he held senior editorial roles at Reuters, overseeing online strategy in India and managing Reuters Video Services from London.
His career began in television and wire reporting, including a stint with ANI during the 1999 Kargil conflict, before moving into digital publishing as India’s internet media landscape took shape.
Now, after nearly three decades in broadcast and digital media, Soman is leaving Delhi NCR and returning to his hometown, Trivandrum.
Exhausted, he admits. But unbowed. And with one quiet line that sums up the journey: he didn’t sell his soul — because some things, after all, are not for sale.
