News Broadcasting
ABP Asmita is ‘rising star’ of Gujarat
MUMBAI: ABP News Network had launched its Gujarati News Channel “ABP ASMITA” in February this year. It has traversed a long journey of success in a short span of time. With a tag line that shows strong determination of “Khabar Amari, Pragati Tamari”, the channel aims to keeps its viewers ahead and be instrumental in their progress. It is also available on the digital platform at ‘abpasmita.in’.
The Group Editor of ABP News Network Shazi Zaman said, “For our Gujarati viewers in the state and anywhere in the world, ABP Asmita fulfils the need of fair, balanced and objective news with the dedication that is evident in our Hindi, Bangla and Marathi channels.”
Ashok Venkatramani, CEO of ABP News Network further said, “We are committed to making ABP Asmita a strong conveyor of pride for which the Gujaratis are known globally and at the same time to contribute in their progress. We are using the best and latest technology to broadcast “ABP Asmita” channel, this will serve the Gujaratis in India and every corner of the world with quality news at a lightning speed.”
Since inception, ABP Asmita has seen phenomenal growth in ratings. It has been widely accepted in a very short span of time. The weekly coverage has expanded to three folds of what it was during its launch. The channel has garnered a reach of 8.2 million viewers and is listed amongst the top 3 news channels in Gujarat. During special news coverage, ABP Asmita has been the clear choice with 34% market share during ‘Jagannath Rath Yatra’ a renowned religious procession attended by over 2 lakh people in Ahmedabad and 44% market share during ‘Pramukh Swami Maharaj Story’ a special coverage on Pramukh Swami Maharaj – the head of BAPS Swaminarayan Sansthan, an international Hindu socio-spiritual organization, who built more than 1100 temples in India including the Akshardham temples in Delhi and Gandhinagar.
News is updated expeditiously on our website www.abpasmita.in and ABP Asmita app. News bulletins and various other programs of ABP Asmita Channel are also uploaded. The website and app combined have 10 million page views and 1 million unique visitors monthly.
To keep our viewers updated, Live News bulletins are continuously aired on ABP Asmita from early morning till midnight along with quality daily programs like ‘Fatafat’ and ‘Top 20’,”Aapni Khabar, Aapna Reporter”, “Mahacharcha” and “Mahanagar”. “Asmita Vishesh” and “Asmita Sanvaad” cover the analysis of special events and interviews of known personalities.
Celebrating this success, ABP Asmita recently rolled out a high decibel campaign in trade along with an activation in top 21 advertising agencies across the country distributing ‘Monthar’ a traditional Gujarati sweet dish to mark the beginning of a sweet journey .
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.
