TV18, NDTV, TV Today appear in AIB shortlists

The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) has announced the shortlisted entries for the 2013 AIBs, its annual awards celebrating the best in international factual broadcasting. Interestingly, out of the 97 shortlists across 18 categories, five were Indian shortlists.

NDTV bagged three shortlists while TV Today and TV18 were shortlisted in one category each. The winners will be announced and felicitated on November 6 in London.

NDTV was shortlisted for the Delhi Gang Rape case coverage in the 'Live Journalism (TV)' and for the Uttarakhand Flood Devastation documentary in the category 'Short Report or Documentary (TV)'. Apart from this, the network's group editor, Barkha Dutt was shortlisted in the 'International TV personality' category. Rahul Kanwal, managing editor, TV Today was also shortlisted in the same category.

TV18 was shortlisted for The Citizen Journalist Show in the 'Transmedia Production' category.

Amitabh Srivastava, regional head, South Asia, AIB, says, "The inclusion of NDTV, TV18 and TV Today entries in four different categories demonstrates the increasing worldwide impact of Indian broadcasting and how South Asian media is ready to compete globally."

For the record, AIB was established in 1993 as a non-profit, non-government, industry association founded to represent, promote and assist its members. It currently has a membership of over 50 companies in around 30 countries, including major broadcasters serving audiences of hundreds of millions of people each week. AIB publishes the comprehensive AIB Global Broadcasting Sourcebook and the international media magazine, The Channel.

For the current edition, the shortlists are drawn from nearly 300 entries submitted by TV and radio broadcasters, content producers and broadcasting technology companies throughout the world.

"We are delighted that the AIBs have attracted more broadcasters and independent producers from more countries than ever before," says Simon Spanswick, CEO, AIB. "The shortlist demonstrates the continuing impact of broadcasting across the globe and how broadcasters search for the truth behind stories and provide context in a relevant way to viewers and listeners worldwide."

The shortlist will be judged by a panel of over 50 independent media professionals and senior broadcasting executives drawn from all over the world. Their independent votes will determine the winners in each category based on quality, innovation and impact.