News Broadcasting
CNNs leadership cemented among audiences in asia pacific
MUMBAI : CNN International continues as the leading news and business brand in Asia Pacific, with an unrivalled connection with the region’s affluent and senior executives, according to the latest findings from Ipsos. The Pan-Asia Pacific Cross-Media (PAX) and Business Elite Asia (BE:Asia) surveys both confirm the network’s undisputed regional reach and leadership in news and business on TV, web and mobile platforms.
The latest PAX results for the period Q3 2012 to Q2 2013* show that CNN is the clear frontrunner among other international news and business brands across all metrics:
• As a TV brand, CNN’s daily audience is 59% greater than BBC World News and 2.6 times the size of CNBC’s audience.
• CNN is far more effective than any other news/business channel in connecting
international business travelers (42% monthly reach vs. 29% for next placed channel)
• In the digital sphere, more of the PAX population visit CNN via web or mobile than any other media brand.
Tony Maddox, Executive Vice President of CNN International, said: “It’s most gratifying to see that our increased editorial output from Asia Pacific continues to resonate with viewers. They want intelligent, in-depth coverage and analysis, both from their region and globally.
Programming such as ‘CNN Newsroom Live from Hong Kong’, ‘On China’ and ‘Talk Asia’ delivers this in clear and compelling ways. ”
Duncan Morris, Vice President of Research at Turner International Asia Pacific, said: “Coming out on top in one of these independent media surveys would be a great achievement, but to be so consistently strong in all metrics and on all platforms on both studies is clearly very pleasing. CNN has yet again demonstrated that when it comes to targeting hard-to-reach elite groups, as well as broader affluent populations, the brand is the obvious news and business leader.”
The most recent BE:Asia research# highlights that whether via TV, web or mobile, the majority of Asia’s business elite (71%) consume CNN every month. A remarkable 6-in-10 (58%) are weekly CNN brand users, while over a third (35%) are daily CNN consumers. Other highlights include:
• BE:Asia 2013 findings show clearly that CNN is the leading media brand among Asian Elites on all platforms: TV, web and mobile, and for all metrics: daily, weekly and monthly reach.
– CNN TV reaches 61% more Asian Elites each day than its closest TV news rival
– CNN Digital has 45% greater monthly reach than the next largest media brand
• Mobile is a key platform for Asia’s Business Elites, as reflected in their high smartphone and tablet ownership levels (82% and 55% respectively), and by the fact that CNN alone is able to reach almost a third (30%) of them via mobile devices.
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.
