News Broadcasting
Zee News to be free-to-air in South Delhi
NEW DELHI: It may or may not spark off a trend, but in a quiet way, Zee Turner has conveyed to multi-system operators in Delhi that in view of the rollout of addressability in certain parts of the city, subscription price for Zee News would not be charged.
Even as Zee News technically turns free to air (FTA) for South Delhi, Star has priced its newest acquisition, The History Channel, at Rs 15, slightly less than Star Plus and Star Movies a la carte price.
Both the developments were confirmed by MSOs in Delhi where they are preparing to route the pay channels through the boxes from Sunday midnight in South Delhi areas.
It seems that Zee hasnt yet made it official, but in the Zee Turner bouquet, the column next to Zee News has been left blank. We have also been told that no price would be charged for the news channel by Zee Turner people, said a senior executive of an MSO.
Since Zee Turner could not be contacted despite attempts to seek clarifications from the company CEO, Sunil Khanna, the reason behind initiating such a move could not be ascertained.
Zee News head Laxmi N. Goel had told indiantelevision.com a few days ago that Zee News subscription revenue has been showing an upward trend. Turning FTA, even for a short period of time in a limited area, may tell on the total revenue mop up of the channel.
Though Chennai, where CAS has been implemented, cannot be used as a true example of success or failure of addressability, but even there some channels like Star Vijay had turned FTA from being pay.
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.
