BloombergUTV launches The Outsider with Tim Sebastian

Scheduled to go on-air from mid-August 2012, the first-ever mega debate series about India which is produced in India will be broadcasted globally

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | July 13, 2012

BloombergUTV India's premier business news channel and Sobo Films today announced the launch of The Outsider - a mega debate series. The Outsider will be hosted by Tim Sebastian, the founder and host of the world famous The Doha Debates & the first host of BBC's flagship international interview programme Hardtalk.

The Outsider series will feature debates on some of the major social, political and economic issues faced by India including subjects like Education, Kashmir, relationship between Business and Corruption, Dynastic Politics, to name a few.

Tim Sebastian, host and anchor of The Outsider, said, “The role of The Outsider is to try and do things differently. Yes, we want to join the incredibly vibrant debate that is India today - but we want to do it in a way that tries to unpick key problems and address key questions that often go unanswered. My job is to make sure these debates contain both the heat of your passion and the light to illuminate extraordinary things to a curious world. India matters more than ever. There's no escaping that.”

Tim Sebastian, previously a BBC foreign correspondent, based in Warsaw, Moscow and Washington has over 30 years of reporting from more than 25 countries. He is globally recognised as a sharp, incisive and unbiased cross-examiner and enjoys a track record for fearless and forensic questioning of some of the most powerful people on the planet.

Sriram Kilambi, President – BloombergUTV said, “We are very excited about having Tim Sebastian hosting The Outsider, a unique and hard-hitting debate series about India - conducted in India. The Outsider is the first ever television show about India to be showcased on a global platform and we are proud to be the channel to carry it. We expect the entire nation and Indians living across the globe to watch and participate in the series which will send a strong signal to the Bureaucracy and Corporate India about issues that need to be tackled to ensure that the country stays on-course with its growth map.”

Each debate will have speakers arguing 'for' and 'against' the motion. Speakers will include politicians, business people and activists. The debate will be conducted in the presence of a live audience of around 200 people representing a mix of India's best future minds and people from all walks of life. The audience, at the end of each debate, will vote 'for' or 'against' the motion. The motion will then be thrown open in the viral world for people from all across the globe to post their vote to determine the majority sentiment for the motion.

Vikas Gulati, Director of Sobo Films (SBF), said, “With a combination of Tim Sebastian, one of the leaders in his field, great topics, a young audience and international viewers, we are looking forward to the start of this series. We are proud to be able to give the youth of this country an opportunity to share their views with a global audience. This programme will allow an international audience to hear what the future leaders of this country have to say.”

Smruti Shinde, Director of Sobo Films (SBF) said, “Sobo Films has always wanted to provide the world with intellectual, refreshing and entertaining content. Having nurtured and developed this idea with Tim Sebastian for over a year, this 13-part series will showcase the India story to the rest of the world - looking at some of the crucial issues facing the nation.”

J D Mhaiskar, Managing Director – MEP Infrastructure Developers Pvt. Ltd. said, “The Outsider unleashes a new platform for India Inc., to hear & be heard, of reformations & touch upon aspects which would influence India in its journey towards development. Season-1 also opens a brand new forum of youthful ideas &

MEP, in its own way, makes an attempt towards supporting this venture of civic augmentation.

MEP Infrastructure Developers Pvt. Ltd., with their pan India presence in Intelligent Tolling &

Surface infrastructure of Roads, Bridges & State of Art Bus Terminals, is proud to power this BloombergUTV and Sobo Films initiative.”

The Outsider will be broadcast by BloombergUTV in India and by Bloomberg TV across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East thereby reaching out to over 300 million viewers globally making it the first and only show about India to be produced in India and telecast across the globe. A strong social media campaign has also been put into place to gather opinions and votes from across the world to be incorporated into the show.

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