News Broadcasting
CNN-IBN and Rajdeep Sardesai Leads in Social Media Conversation during Assembly Elections
MUMBAI: The recent research conducted by an independent organizationGoonj Labs, on news channel’s social media engagement during the latest Assembly Elections, has yet again proved that CNN-IBN, India’s No. 1 English News channel is the leader in social media space too. The channel’s popularity when calculated across platforms on Google Search, Facebook, Twitter, Google News, You Tube was 14% higher in comparison to the nearest channel on the counting day. CNN- IBN consistently receives more positive feedback than the rest.
In terms of interactions,Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN Lokmat is leading the pack, especially due to personal intervention and responses which come regularly. On the counting day, 67% people searched, read, or interacted with content related to Rajdeep(#AskRajdeep) in India.When it comes to interaction with opinion makersand influencers Rajdeep Sardesai is the most popular choice, the popularity of Rajdeep was 73% more than the average for English News editors and a staggering 35% more than his nearest competitor, also Rajdeep Sardesai received 95% more than Arnab G. and 33% more than Barkha Dutt.
In terms of positive interactions on social media, Rajdeep Sardesai is the most popular choice with 60% more positive interactions than the average for the English News editors.On the election results day, Rajdeep Sardesai was the most sought after English News editor on social media; not only in terms of volume but also in terms of positive comments and interaction with influential individuals.
CNN-IBN, the most watched English news channelof the Countryleads other channels in positive conversations and interactions in social media space; the channel has 64% more positive conversations than the category average for English News. On the day of announcements, CNN-IBN had the highest share of conversations compared to other English news channels (approx. 30% ahead), also on positive conversations and engagement, CNN-IBN is consistently ahead. In comparison to the rest, CNN-IBN is the most popular choice when it comes to the influential people on social media;the popularity of CNN-IBN among influencers is 56% more than the category average for English News.The popularity of CNN-IBN was 48% more than the category average for English News.
The result from the report by Goonj Labs has proved that, CNN-IBN & Rajdeep Sardesai were hands down Winners on Social Media Space during Assembly Elections.
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.
