News Broadcasting
X-Zone puts AXN in top 3 intl channels in India
MUMBAI: A series of invigorating promotional and marketing initiatives coupled with a localisation drive last year have paid action oriented channel AXN rich dividends.
In order provide a whole new dimension to interactive television programming, the channel had brought down Mike Whitney for the AXN Who Dares Wins – India Special . Figures reveal that the series roped in 9.25 million viewers for the episodes spread over six weeks. The first run of the show in the week of 17 November to 22 December in the 8 pm – 9 pm slot on Sundays notched up a rating share of 20.6 with 14.1 rating shares for the repeat telecasts on Mondays. In fact, the India Special even overtook the original series in its ratings, the channel claims.
Last year, AXN launched shows like Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, Guinness World Records: Primetime in the X-Zone band between 9 – 10 pm. The channel claims that this has put it among the top three international channels in India.
Speaking on the programming strategy adopted last year Assistant V-P Sales and Marketing, SET (I) Ltd Rohit Bhandari said,”The challenge that AXN faced was really to take an inherently international and increasingly successful brand and give it a more local feel, something which it has very effectively done last year. We initiated the process of striking a fine balance by managing a firmly entrenched international brand, yet infusing just the required amount of local flavour thereby not diluting its brand identity.
The branding is the same, the commitment to 100 per cent high-quality action-adventure programming is unwavering, but the execution in terms of on-the-ground events, programme content, scheduling and even advertising varies as the channel adapts to cater to the preferences of specific markets. Through our X-Zone shows and the AXN Who Dares Wins-India Special, we attempted ‘appointment viewing’ amongst audiences. We’re putting efforts on all fronts – creating the best quality channel, striking on-air presentation, and engaging on-the-ground events which viewers get a kick out of. “
On the advertising front, AXN roped in several blue-chip sponsor partners – including Hero Honda, Samsung, Colgate-Palmolive, Perfetti and Bharti (Airtel) – for its local production and integrated their products into the show. The channel will announce plans for this year next month.
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.
