Ever since the news came out few months ago that Sudhir Chaudhary is joining DD Network, people have been curious to know the reason why the anchor was leaving a high-paying job that too after only a couple of years of stint with Aaj Tak.
There were also news that the anchor was roped in by the Public body at a very high remuneration which attracted strong backlash from the netizens.
In a recent podcast with Shubhankar Mishra, Sudhir Chaudhary opened up on such questions. He talked about many things and also touches upon the most curios topics i.e. about his salary and why he left Aajtak.
Why He Left Aajtak?
When Sudhir Chaudhary had left Zee News after nearly a decade, there were rumors circulated that he was intending to launch his own news organization.
But those rumors turned out false (at that time!) as the news anchor had joined Aaj Tak instead.
He was hosting a prime time show there by the name of Black and White.
When the news came that Chaudhary had decided to left Aaj Taj, fans were curious to know about the matter.
There weren’t any rumors that speculated about his strained relationship with the organization nor was there an issue related with viewership.
Sudhir Chaudhary has now clarified that he left Aaj Tak while he was at his “peak” and the reason was to not work solely for the TRP ratings and sensationalism news which brings the majority of revenue for Indian media houses.
He opinies that he liked the opportunity to work for a news organization which focuses on public interests without the worry to play in the TRP game.
“I wanted to free myself from the pressure or compulsion to bring viewership……………. I didn’t wanted the pressure to cover a certain topic just so bring to ratings and viewership……………..I want to try whether it is possible to gain viewership by producing good quality content which helps the society and families by large” Sudhir said during the podcast with Shubhankar Mishra.
The above statement by Sudhir Chaudhary may indicate that he felt pressured in his previous organizations to bring TRP which solely majorly on sensationalism content.
He also hinted that he had to cover topics in his previous organizations on issues which he didn’t wanted.
It is to be noted that Sudhir Chaudhary will be producing the content through his own company Essprit Productions Pvt Ltd and the episodes will be aired on DD Network.
Takes a Jibe at Arnab Goswami?
Sudhir Chaudhary without taking the name pointed out that certain journalists are able to attract viewership by being a loudmouth where they can be seen insulting the people in their studio to gain eyeballs.
Arnab Goswami is widely known to have high pitch and heated discussion with his panelists and many netizens had often criticize the Republic anchor for his loud mouth journalism.
Sudhir Chaudhary on Backlash for his high DD News Salary
The anchor indicated that his remuneration is around Rs 15 – 20 crores from DD News. It is to be noted that his remuneration with Aaj Tak was around Rs 6 – 7 crores as per many credible sources.
He was asked about the backlash that he has been receiving for his salary from a government organization, to which he points of lack of criticism when an actors take huge pay cut for his movies.
Netizens have also speculated whether this high remuneration was possible for the anchor because of his alleged close ties with the pro-hindu current government.
Sudhir Chaudhary defended his reported ₹20 crore salary at DD News. He talked about film industry where where even B Listers earn more for less sustained work. He emphasizes that news anchors work year-round, often without breaks, and deserve fair compensation and questions the backlash, attributing it to a double standard in public perception.
His new prime time show “”Decode with Sudhir Chaudhary” started airing on DD News officially from May 15, 2025, and airs weeknights at 9 PM.
