News Broadcasting
Sahara in global partnership with Int Hockey Federation
MUMBAI: After conquering the hearts of millions of hockey lovers in India, Sahara India Pariwar has joined hands with Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH), the world’s apex body for Hockey.
Sahara has now become the fourth global partner of the Federation and has clinched a three year deal all set to be finalized by the end of this month.
As a global partner, Sahara India Pariwar will join FIH’s three global partners, BDO International, Rabobank and Samsung. Sahara will also be getting title rights and branding opportunities at major FIH tournaments, till the men’s and women’s World Cup in 2006.
The FIH, as the sole international governing body of Hockey, retains overall responsibility for hockey worldwide, which includes the rules of hockey, umpiring, coaching, the global development and promotion of the sport. It also possesses the rights for all world level hockey competitions and to sanction and stage such sporting events.
As a result of this partnership, Sahara India Pariwar will enjoy prominent brand visibility in other major international tournaments like the Mens and the Women’s World Cups and Champion Trophies, including title rights to the Mens Champions Trophies in 2005 and 2006.
Sahara India Pariwar chairman Subrata Roy said, “Hockey is the national game of India. We would do everything possible within our parameters to bring back the lost glory of this game, within our nation as well as internationally. We want to see the national game of India prospering worldwide. This significant deal with FIH will not only help us promote hockey as a game globally but will also go a long way in promoting Indian hockey globally. This is a very positive step towards a brighter future of hockey.”
Global Hockey Partnership director Henk Westerlaken said, “I am delighted that the initial success of the Global Hockey Partnership has been capitalized upon by the consortium reaching full strength. I look forward to welcoming Sahara personally and to working with them to assist hockey’s promotion and worldwide development.”
FIH President, Els van Breda Vriesman commented, “This is another huge step for the promotion of world hockey. Sahara India Pariwar’s involvement as a Global Partner demonstrates hockey’s ability to attract the backing of major multi-national organisations throughout the hockey world. Coupled with the resurgent enthusiasm in Indian hockey, with their qualification at Madrid to the Athens Olympics, the addition of a major Indian corporation to the hockey’s Global Partnership can only strengthen hockey’s renaissance in India.”
The sponsorship was brokered by Leisure Sports Management (LSM) MD S S Dasgupta. Dasgupta said, “Sahara India Pariwar, over the years, has grown not only to become a top company in India but also one of the very best in the whole world. As part of their global outlook Sahara now join hands with FIH. We at LSM feel proud to have played a significant role in this tie-up.”
Established with founder members BDO International and Rabobank at the beginning of 2003, the Global Hockey partnership began as a sponsorship consortium of up to four partners. Samsung joined the partnership in August last year and with Sahara; the consortium has now reached its maximum number of places for its first term of 2003-2006. The Global Hockey Partnership has enabled FIH to develop a central, global sponsorship of major hockey events for the first time in its history.
The revenue from the Global Partners sponsorship will directly benefit host organisers of FIHs major events and will also be used by FIH to improve the events quality and profile, by enhancing spectator facilities, TV production and youth activities.
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.
