Veteran journalist and television anchor Sudhir Chaudhary made a candid and heartfelt appearance at WAVES 2025, sharing insights from his journey through India’s evolving news media landscape and announcing his next big move — a new 9pm show for Doordarshan. Speaking at the summit, the former Zee News CEO reflected on the tough balance between content integrity and business pressures, offering a rare look behind the newsroom curtain.

During his session at the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit, Chaudhary shared how his dual role — as content creator and CEO at Zee Media — offered him a complex perspective. “You are producing content and at the same time responsible for profit and loss. And then you realise… bad content sells more than good content,” he admitted, echoing an inner conflict many broadcasters may feel but rarely voice in public.

This report captures Sudhir Chaudhary’s address at WAVES 2025, where he offered both reflection and revelation. Known for his long-running primetime show DNA, which once dominated TRP charts as a family-oriented news broadcast, Chaudhary said the core idea behind that show is now making a comeback — on a new platform, in a new avatar. “I did the 9pm show on Zee, and then on Aaj Tak with a different name,” he said. “Now, my company will produce that show again, and this time it will air on Doordarshan.”

The show, he said, is “almost finalized” and will be launched soon. Calling it an “experiment,” Chaudhary emphasized that the public broadcaster offers a space for meaningful news. “News is the most sensitive segment. But platforms like Doordarshan and Prasar Bharati are enormous, and there are many in this country who can create good shows not just in entertainment, but also in news,” he added.

In a touching moment, Chaudhary said he was inspired by Prasar Bharati’s open-door policy for content producers. He credited the platform for setting a precedent long ago by welcoming collaborations between public institutions and private creators. As he put it, “DD and Prasar Bharati have always been open to content creators. They’ve set the path long ago — and now we’re just following it.”

The announcement adds to the growing relevance of public platforms like DD in India’s content ecosystem, especially in the age of hyper-commercialised private newsrooms. It also reflects a broader industry shift, where journalists like Chaudhary are not only anchoring but also taking charge as independent content entrepreneurs.