MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • In addition to DTH advertising, SVG media delivers performance, mobile and native advertising to digital marketers

    NetworkPlay wins Airtel Digital TV’s monetization mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    NetworkPlay, an SVG Media company, announced winning an exclusive mandate from Airtel Digital TV to monetize all their digital advertising inventories. Airtel Digital TV is the DTH arm of leading global telecommunications provider Bharti Airtel. SVG Media is the largest Indian Ad-Tech company with brands like Tyroo, DGM India, Seventy Nine & NetworkPlay in its portfolio.

     

    In addition to DTH advertising, SVG media delivers performance, mobile and native advertising to digital marketers and advertisers and helps leading publishers monetize their digital assets.

     

    Anurag Gupta, India MD, SVG Media said, “NetworkPlay has been working with Airtel DTH since their launch in India. Today, we are extremely delighted to take our relation to the next level with this exclusive partnership, which further strengthens our position in the industry as a leading digital ad-tech company.  NetworkPlay’s technology will help in significantly growing the advertising revenues for Airtel Digital TV.”

     

    “With the increasing penetration of HD technology, coupled with an overall growth in the DTH sector, the business is expected to multiply as more brands have started to explore DTH as a platform to reach out to the television audience”, he further added.

     

  • Twitter Ads self-service platform is now expanded to over 200 countries and territories worldwide

    Twitter launches Self-Service Ads Platform for SMBs in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Twitter has launched the self-service advertising platform to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in India. Twitter has expanded the platform reach of Twitter Ads globally from 33 countries to over 200 countries and territories. Now, SMBs from India to Iceland can more effectively reach their target audiences on Twitter in 15 languages. In addition, Twitter also announced the total active advertisers, including SMBs to be approximately 100,000.

     

    “Small and medium-sized businesses face the most challenges and are least resourced to promote the good work they do,” says Emily Huo, SMB lead for Asia Pacific at Twitter. “With the expansion of the Twitter self-service ads platform, we are excited to help SMBs level the playing field with digital advertising to increase their sales.”

     

    There are 51 million SMBs in India, according to market research firm Zinnov. Start-ups registered in India are projected to go up a whopping 11,500 by 2020, independent consultancy KPMG reports. Anyone with a small business, from tech start-ups to retail, F&B establishments, and even mom and pop shops, can now use our platform to target and engage in real-time with more than 316 million active Twitter users worldwide and increase sales.

     

    How is this different from just tweeting for free?  Twitter self-service advertising platform allows businesses to amplify their organic Twitter message and reach more people by targeting a specific audience. The great thing about the platform is that you can set your own budgets. There is no minimum requirement for what you spend, you can start and stop your campaign at any time. The self-service ad platform has been developed so it is as easy to use as possible, while providing businesses and individuals with all the tools they need to advertise effectively. All you need is a Twitter account and a USD credit card to get started.

     

    For entrepreneurs, Twitter proves to be one of the most effective data-collecting platforms as it provides advertisers with real-time, public conversations from users with varying demographics.

     

    Whether you want to stay local or reach an overseas audience, with Twitter’s robust targeting options available on Twitter’s global marketplace, you can reach a global audience. Advertisers can choose the markets, countries, regions, metro areas or postal codes that are the most relevant to their business. They can also refine their targeting by language to ensure that no matter where they call home, potential customers can understand their ad.

     

  • Consumer reach facilitated further in the virtual world with the launch of ASCIonline mobile app

    ASCIonline App gets a thumbs-up from consumers

    By A Correspondent

     

    With a purely organic reach approach, ASCIonline mobile app has garnered good success and has directly seen a boost in the numbers of complaints received. Now complaints through Mobile App are contributing to almost 15 per cent of the total number of complaints received by ASCI. The app has surpassed 1000 downloads within just two months since its launch on 17th June, 2015.

     

    ASCIonline is India’s first mobile app to facilitate convenient filing of complaints against misleading of advertisements. It is the first time that a Self-Regulatory Organization like ASCI has leveraged the power of technology anywhere in the world, although there are over a 100 bodies in as many countries created to do an identical job as ASCI.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Narendra Ambwani, ASCI chairman said “While the web-based online complaint registration system has been functional for over three years, the Mobile App has truly broken the “Reach” barrier. With the dramatic and ever growing increase in Smartphone penetration and its use for various transactions, the Mobile App has been a great enabler for end Consumers. Analysis of complaints received via Mobile App is the real “proof of the pudding”.

     

    For promoting the Mobile App, ASCI coined the “SnapItandAppIt” tagline as the App allows one to take a picture of the objectionable ad and send it through the App to ASCI. Social Media is being leveraged to create awareness. Prasar Bharati of the Government of India also took note of this Mobile App and actively supported this by tweeting about the app. Even industry stalwarts and twitteratis like Rajan Anandan (MD, Google), SK Swamy (MD, RK Swamy BBDO), Sanjeev Kotnala (Head Catalyst, Intradia), Paritosh Joshi (Director, Provacateur) created a buzz causing a ripple effect.

     

  • It also found that inspirational, funny and entertaining content are most likely to be shared on social platforms followed by personal, news and educational content

    Waggener Edstrom’s report throws up interesting insights on content relevance

    By A Correspondent

     

    Waggener Edstrom India, a independent integrated communications agency recently released a research report on changing patterns of digital engagement in India and its impact on brand advocacy: Content Matters: The Impact of Brand Storytelling Online in 2015”. The report reveals that 73 percent of Indians recommend brands with a greater digital footprint and higher levels of online social engagement. It also found that inspirational, funny and entertaining content are most likely to be shared on social platforms followed by personal, news and educational content.

     

    The report explored the correlation between devices and social media platforms relating to purchase behavior and how those dynamics vary across nine industries: Beauty, Consumer Electronics, Finance & Banking, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Mobile Devices & Tablets, Personal Care, Restaurants & Dining, and Travel & Tourism.

     

    Key findings of the report include the following:

    • The rise of smart phones: Smart phones at 40 percent are a very close second to personal computers at 52 percent as the device of choice to access information related to purchase decisions. Tablets are yet to catch on amongst Indians as the device of choice. However, 91 percent have access to computers whilst 85 percent have access to smart phones.
    • Content is king: 9 out of 10 Indian respondents are likely to follow a brand on social media where 29 percent seek general news about the brand while 27 percent want to receive discounts and promotional offers and 23% are in search of better customer service.
    • Facebook and WhatsApp lead the way: 29 percent of consumers polled indicated that Facebook remains the top social media platform preferred by Indians for sharing content, followed closely by WhatsApp (26 percent)
    • Consumption habits: Although 16% use search engines and another 16% are fans of word of mouth, whilst 14 percent use company websites, review sites, social media, traditional media, forums, blogs, IM and online news are all popular too. When it comes to recommending brands to friends and family, 73 percent of digital savvy respondents are willing to recommend brands that they have a high level of engagement with online.

     

    The report was released at an industry round table comprising marketers, communications leaders and business heads on ‘How can brands best digitally engage with the consumer for maximum advocacy?’ moderated by Madhuri Sen, Managing Director, Waggener Edstrom Communications.

     

    Setting the stage for the discussion, Sen said: “Effective brand storytelling requires an ecosystem of media with both online and offline touch points. However, the dominant platforms shift according to industry and geography. Organizations are now recognizing the need to move away from what was a higher channel focus to a content focus. It is important to figure out the content and then the channel as opposed to having the media plan in place and then deciding the content.”

     

    Addressing the panel, Carolyn Camoens, Regional VP, Waggener Edstrom Communications, APAC said: “I’m not going to share what I had for lunch today. But if there is something funny or inspirational I am sharing that. So it still goes back to the nature of that content that is being shared and how much value it has for the Indian consumer. I know pictures of my half-done kitchen are not interesting to you, but me saying ‘my home coming together’ is sharing an emotional experience with your network. That’s what brands need to connect to.”

     

    Siddharth Sankhe, India Lead, Insights & Analytics, Waggener Edstrom Communications said: “Things are changing at a good pace with regards to inclusion of smartphones in the daily lives of people. Brands need to acknowledge this and create mobile ready content which is easy to consume and share. Computers still stand as an important device for a lot of other functionalities, but smartphones are replacing computers as the primary device of information consumption”

     

    Adding to the shift in smartphone related behavior, Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager – India, South Africa Tourism, shared a travel based perspective – “If I am standing on the top of Table Mountain which overlooks Cape Town, and I can be on Facebook in 30 seconds – I’m there. You got a much bigger bragging factor when you say – this is where I am, wish you were here.”

     

    Nandini Goswami, Director, Corporate Communications, Kellogg, India, presented the flipside to this mobile and digital wave in India, saying: “While social media has its many positives, there is a negative side to this as well. With the rise in smartphones usage, dissatisfied customers have an additional channel to vent on. This means that they don’t give the organization enough time to respond as the issue has already been tweeted, retweeted and shared on Facebook. Each industry will be affected differently by this.”

     

  • Humsa will report into NP Singh, CEO, MSM Network

    MSM appoints Humsa Dhir as SVP & Head, PR & Corporate Communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Humsa Dhir has joined MSM as Senior Vice-President (SVP) & Head – PR & Corporate Communications for the network. In this newly created role, she will lead MSM’s PR and Communications strategy and execute on pivotal campaigns, programs and activities that advance the network’s brand image and reputation. Humsa will report into NP Singh, CEO, MSM Network.

     

    Humsa has over 19 years of work experience across Advertising, Public Relations,  Corporate Communications and Public Affairs; having worked for the India, South Asia and Middle East markets. For the last three companies that she worked in, she has set up and established from scratch the Corporate Communications function;  encompassing marketing and brand communication, investor and media relations as well as communications around employee engagement.

     

    NP Singh

    Commenting on the appointment, NP Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd said, “We are delighted to welcome Humsa as our Corporate Communications lead. We believe Humsa’s well-grounded, robust experience across different aspects of communications will enable her to play a very intrinsic role in the network as she charts a strategic direction to shape the network’s reputation amongst its multiple stakeholders. She has our unflinching support to execute on this commitment.”

     

    Prior to joining MSM, Humsa was with AkzoNobel India, where she managed the communications and Public affairs portfolio for the entire organization including its various business verticals. Her responsibilities stretched from building and managing the corporate brand to overseeing reputational matters, including crises. Internal communications as well as CSR were also central to her responsibilities. Some of Humsa’s previous work stints have been with Suzlon, the Eicher group, RK Swamy BBDO as well as J Walter Thompson.

     

  • Living Entertainment brings to you an international food experience from 11th September 2015

    Living Foodz set for Sept 11 launch

    By A Correspondent

     

    Living Entertainment has announced the launch of an international food and lifestyle channel ‘Living Foodz’. This foodtainment channel specializes in exploring the evolving social status of food; moving out of the confines of the conventional kitchen into a world of entertainment and adventure with food. Having food at its core, Living Foodz will explore different perspectives towards food and the way it touches people – from lifestyle, travel, wellness to food infotainment and reality.

     

    The channel will be available across all DTH providers like Dish TV, Tata Sky, Airtel, Videocon and all other leading cable networks in dual feed Hindi and English from 11th September 2015.

     

    Living Entertainment in India will be an extension of the Living network belonging to Essel Group which already exists in the international markets. Living aims at bringing alive all things factual with an element of entertainment in order to appeal to the global audiences. Living in India will truthfully echo the ‘Living’ philosophy and encompass everything that will help one to discover, awaken and transform oneself.

     

    In sync with the corporate brand positioning of ZEEL – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam -The World is My Family”, Living Foodz will resonate the philosophy perfectly with the energetic programming mix. For the Indian market, Living Foodz will be the international food & lifestyle channel that will have a universal feel; which will appeal to the new age Indian. This foodtainment channel is targeted at both men and women across all age groups in urban digital households. The core audience set would comprise of well-travelled & connected people with high interest level of food.

     

    Within a year, Living Foodz will be available across countries worldwide producing global food content for global audiences. The audience will be taken on an exhilarating food expedition alongside eminent celebrity chefs and food personalities like Ranveer Brar, Gautam Mehrishi, Rocky & Mayur, Vicky Ratnani, Kunal Kapur, Rakhee Vaswani through their different shows. With a substantial increase of audience interest in various niche sectors, Living Foodz, has the right formula that is sure to enthrall one and all.

     

    Speaking on the new initiative, Dr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, ZEEL and Essel Group said, “We are very proud to present Living networks in India. This is yet another endeavor from our group to bring the world closer through entertainment. Living is all about global mindsets and experiences. This is also in line with our group philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family”. Our group has always believed in creating not just great content but building genres and brands that are milestones.”

     

    Also present for the launch, Punit Goenka, Managing Director & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited said, “With Living, we intend to make global content for global audiences. This will be for the first time ever that original content from India will be available to audiences across the globe. We are very proud to present this new form of entertainment to our audiences”

     

    Commenting on the occasion Piyush Sharma, CEO Zee Living- India APAC says, “Living is our endeavor to showcase audiences with great lifestyle content. Growth of digitization is leading to fragmentation of audiences, thereby creating an opportunity for differentiated and genre specific content. Moreover, increasing digital households are giving rise to increased audience expectations and demand for more diverse viewing opportunities. Under this scenario we are providing Living Foodz to people who love exploring and knowing more about food.”

     

  • The Internet and Mobile Association of India believes that the internet has reached an inflection point in India. Indeed it has!

    Three hundred two million internet users!

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Internet and Mobile Association of India [IAMAI] believes that the year 2014 was the year of internet and is of the firm view that internet has reached an inflection point. The consolidated numbers taken out by IAMAI for FY 2014 affirms the fact that internet in India has now becoming inclusive, which augurs well for the industry and society at large.

     

    The number of Internet users in India reached 302 million by December 2014, registering a Y-o-Y growth of 32% over FY 2013. The Internet in India took more than a decade to move from 10 million to 100 million and 3 years from 100 to 200 million. However, it took only a year to move from 200 to 300 million users. Clearly, Internet is mainstream in India today, an IAMAI communiqué adds.

     

    The Mobile Internet in India also witnessed significant growth rate. If the following chart is anything to go by, the future of Mobile Internet in India is set to growth at an exponential rate. India had 159 million mobile Internet users as on October 2014. Out of this, 119 million users were from Urban India and the rest 40 million were from Rural India. There has been a growth of 45% from October 2013. Mobile Internet users reached 213 million by June 2015.

     

     

    The impact of internet penetration has seen a huge spurt in Digital Commerce. The digital commerce market was valued at INR 81,525 crores by the end of December 2014, and registered a growth of 53% over 2013. According to IAMAI-IMRB estimates, the industry is estimated to grow further at a rate of 33% and cross INR one lakh crores by the end of 2015.

     

     

    Digital Advertising has also been witnessing a steady growth. The online advertising market in India was projected to reach INR 3,575 Crore by March 2015 with a Y-o-Y growth rate of 30%. The online advertising market was pegged at INR 2,750 Crore in March 2014. Search and Display are the top two contributors to the total Digital Advertisement Spends in India. Of the INR 2,750 Crore Digital Advertisement Market, Search ads constitute 38% of the overall ad spends followed by Display ads which contribute 29% and Social Media contributing 13% of overall Digital Advertisement spends.

     

     

    IAMAI has also said that increase in local language content on the Internet will lead to a growth of 39% in the current Internet user base. Rural India will be the primary driver of this growth (75%) while in Urban India, the growth will be 16%. The local language user base is growing at 47% Y-o-Y to reach 127 million in June 2015. IAMAI believes that the next set of internet users will come from rural India and the availability of local language content on internet will be the key for the growth of Internet industry in India.

     

     

    Data on social media users also reflect that the usage of Social Media in Rural India has grown by an impressive 100 percent during the last one year with 25 million users in Rural India. On the other hand, Urban India registered a relatively lower growth of 35% with the total number of users at 118 million as on April 2015. According to IAMAI and IMRB estimates, there are 143 million social media users in India as on April 2015. The report also finds that the top 4 Metros continue to account for almost half of the Social Media users in Urban India.

     

     

    The digital industry is also buoyed by the fact that the digital payments industry is maturing at a fast clip. The digital payments industry grew at a rate of 40% to reach INR 120,120 crore by December 2014. The digital payment industry was pegged at INR 85,800 crore in December 2013. The report finds that the top 4 metros which include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai are approximately 60% of the total Digital payment gateway market size. Next 4 metros – Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune together contributes only 25% to the total market size.

     

     

  • He joins IMRB from Future Lifestyle Fashions Limited where he was President – Marketing

    K Ramkrishnan appointed GM at IMRB Kantar World Panel

    By A Correspondent

     

    IMRB International, a leading market research firm announced the appointment of K Ramkrishnan (Ramki) as General Manager of IMRB Kantar Worldpanel business.

     

    Ramki has over 20 years of experience in Consumer marketing, Product/ Brand management, Sales and Strategy development. He joins IMRB from Future Lifestyle Fashions Limited where he was President РMarketing. In the past, he has headed the Marketing function at Caf̩ Coffee Day, Lenovo, TTK Services and TVS Motors.

     

    Commenting on the appointment Hemant Mehta, SVP, Media & Retail, IMRB International said, “With over 20 years of experience in Consumer marketing, Product/ Brand management, Sales and Strategy development, Ramki brings to the organisation valuable expertise in conceptualizing long term strategies, managing innovation and brand development based on consumer insights. As the portfolio of services from IMRB | Kantar Worldpanel expands, I am sure that Ramki’s experience will be a tremendous asset to us and our clients.”

     

    K Ramkrishnan

    Talking about the move, K Ramkrishnan said: “I am delighted to be part of IMRB Kantar World Panel. I am very excited to drive the Panel service at a time when a lot of change is being seen in the way consumers consume – the changing consumption patterns, the growth of e-commerce, changing media landscape and the rapid inroads made by technology in the consumers lives.  I hope to be able to see and present insights in a way that would be more focused on offering solutions to the marketers, having been one myself all these years. I guess being on this side of the table will help me appreciate better the needs of the marketers and help them craft appropriate strategies for addressing their business issues.”

     

    Ramki holds B.Tech degree in Chemical Engineering-AC Techfrom Anna University, Chennai. He has received his MBA from Bharatidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli.

     

  • EEMA's persistent efforts towards streamlining the licensing process in Delhi have yielded some promising results for all EEMA Members

    Govt of Delhi & EEMA streamline Event Licensing issue in Delhi

     

     

    The Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) in collaboration with the Govt. of Delhi recently made significant efforts towards creating a conducive process for license acquisition for events in the nation’s capital.

     

    Besides appointing a nodal officer for creation of the single-window licensing process, with an eye on ease-of-doing-business an agreement and process has been put into place whereby EEMA member companies can do ticketed events in the national capital without paying entertainment tax before the event.

     

    The decision was preceded by a series of meetings between the National Executive Committee of EEMA and the Delhi government led by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, the Hon’ble Dy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia and the Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Delhi, Kapil Mishra. Following a detailed EEMA representation, the Chief Minister appointed a nodal officer to engage with EEMA and find solutions in the shortest possible time.

     

    True to the CM’s word, the Delhi government has moved at a rapid pace. EEMA’s persistent efforts towards streamlining the licensing process in Delhi have yielded some promising results for all EEMA Members.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, Sabbas Joseph, President, EEMA said “Through the proactive approach of the Delhi government and EEMA, positive results with regards to licensing have started to show yielding a win – win situation for the entire events and experiential marketing industry. This is a big step towards making Delhi an event-friendly city”

     

    Speaking on the development, Rajeev Jain, Treasurer, EEMA stated, “This is indeed a big bold step by the Delhi Govt. & Dept. of Entertainment Tax. Change in the Entertainment Tax depositing framework for EEMA members is certainly a big gift to the industry and number of ticketed & corporate events in the city will see an increase. This directive is a first step to make Delhi an event-friendly city and reinforces the role of the Event Industry as a major stakeholder in the city’s growth.”

     

    Through regular interactions with the Delhi Govt. & Commissioner – Excise, Entertainment & Luxury Tax to ease the licensing laws in Delhi, the following directives have been issued:

     

    Ticketed Events in Delhi

    > EEMA members will now be able to organize their ticketed events in Delhi without submitting any entertainment tax before the event.

    > Tax as per the ticket sale can be deposited after the completion of the event. Earlier this was to be done prior to ticket selling permissions being given.

    > To facilitate this arrangement, EEMA shall enter into an MOU with the Department of Entertainment Tax.

    > EEMA similarly would formulate guidelines for its members availing of this facility.

    > EEMA will also be submitting a Bank Guarantee of a stipulated amount as a surety on behalf of its members.

     

    Licensed Auditoriums under single window clearance

    > 23 auditoriums in the city have been issued a permanent license for holding an event.

    > In another major development to achieve ease of doing business, more such venues are under consideration.

     

    Single Window Clearance: Reducing Licensing Hurdles

    > The government is in the process of bringing Entertainment Tax, Fire, MCD & Electricity under the purview of a single-window clearance.

     

  • The all-new Transferkar's campaign provides solution to watch recorded content on the move

    Tata Sky launches digital campaign for ‘Tata Sky+ Transfer’ STB

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tata Sky has launched its first digital-only campaign for its upcoming ‘Tata Sky+ Transfer’ set-top box. The campaign features three teaser commercials followed by the main commercial which goes on-air from 1st September 2015.

     

    The campaign introduces Tata Sky’s latest product the Tata Sky+ Transfer, which enable the set top box recording to be available on the subscribers’ tablets and phones.

     

    This campaign uses Tata Sky’s trademark style of using hyperboles and humor to drive home the product messages in an interesting manner. The protagonists “Transferkars” are a TV addicted family- a family of six each madly passionate about his/her show and the campaign is a series of films that bring alive the lengths that they go to carry their favourite TV shows with them.  The commercial portrays ‘Tata Sky+ Transfer’ as an innovative product which solves these problems by enabling subscribers to transfer recorded content on their mobile devices and view it at their convenience. Hence, the campaign concludes with the sign off ‘Record. Transfer. Carry.’

     

    Shedding light on what consumer behaviours drove this innovative campaign, Malay Dikshit Chief Communications Officer – Tata Sky said “Today time comes at a premium, the consumer is increasingly finding it difficult to be constrained by fixed timing and location for viewing even recorded content. Thus the demand for convergence and portability of content. The rapid increase of Wi-Fi enabled homes open up new possibilities and potential for new offerings. The Tata Sky+ Transfer box delivers on this sweet spot allowing subscribers to use their connected homes to enjoy their space and identity. Our focused digital-approach with this new campaign along with the launch of an interactive micro-site would surely intrigue existing and prospective subscribers.” He concluded stating, “It is just the beginning of our endeavours to un-box entertainment for our subscribers.”

     

    Talking about the creative on the campaign George Kovoor –  Sr. Creative Director at Ogilvy One stated, “Tata Sky has once again set the benchmark through this unique digital first campaign. At the heart of the campaign is a family of obsessive TV show fans who not only engage the consumers but also demonstrate the Transfer product in a simple yet entertaining story. Fans can follow this family and their quirks on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and even an interactive microsite.”

     

    The task for us was to create a high impact campaign centered around digital devices like smartphones & tablets, demonstrating clearly and in a memorable way how to and in what situations this product is used.

  • Presenting Week 34 of BARC toplines – that's for August 22 to 28, 2015

    Colors topples Star Plus in Week 34 of BARC data

    Here we are all over again with Week 34 of BARC topline data for August 22 to 28, 2015​. This is officially sourced from BARC with no human intervention save a Control C and V.

     

    Please handle data responsibly.

     

     

     

  • The Sheena Bora murder case has exposed in no uncertain terms television's obsession with primetime discussions, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: What’s left to discuss on primetime news TV on the Sheena Bora murder case except psychobabble?

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The Sheena Bora murder case has exposed in no uncertain terms television’s obsession with primetime discussions. No matter what else is happening in the “nation that wants to know”, the human instinct is to focus on this one murder. And certainly, not just is it the sort of sleazy scandal that excites, there are also daily twists and turns to keep the issue alive.

     

    However, what is there to discuss? The police are still investigating the case. Confessions are not enough to convict anyone. The charge-sheet has yet to be filed. The legal process is long and complicated. And yet, everyone and his mother and brother are ready to sit in judgment. Yes, the case is fascinating. But any discussion, such as it is, is nothing more than a gossip amongst friends. Since Siddhartha Das declared himself as the father of Sheena Bora and Mikhail Bora, he has been the latest exhibit on TV, his handkerchief-covered face notwithstanding. Out of curiosity, I travelled to the Bengali news channels to see how they dealt with this new Calcutta connection to the case. I was not disappointed. They were far more aggressive in their line of questioning than the English news channels and Das was not allowed to make any excuses for his negligence of his children and his sudden desire to claim them. The advent of Das only meant we were spared an endless parade of all the people who had ever had a drink with murder suspect number three, Sanjeev Khanna, at one or the other club in Calcutta.

     

    The question however remained: what is there to discuss? The case is news but… The same moral questions, the same outrage or amazement or disgust that a mother could murder a child (although it is still an accusation so far), the same psycho-babble about modern times and social climbing, the same pat responses about why people behave the way they do. In fact, you might as well have been watching various combinations of Phil Donahue, Oprah Winfrey and Jerry Springer instead of news channels.

     

    Comments in newspapers have been more interesting than the sameness of these nightly discussions and I must confess that I myself have succumbed to writing about it. Without I hope any psycho-babble. Of course, some channels have tried to move away from this case. The continuing agitation of our retired armed forces personnel for the implementation of the One Rank One Pension promise, the assassination of Kannada scholar MM Kalburgi, the 1965 war with Pakistan, the renaming of Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi, the fiddling with the Nehru museum so it moves beyond Nehru, Central ministers making presentations to the RSS, trouble in Manipur… some of these have been discussed, some have been reported.

     

    But having ventured so far, perhaps it is also time to question why news channels have not delved into the jungle of questioning the achievements of this government quite the way newspapers have. Columnist after columnist, many of whom applauded Narendra Modi’s coronation as prime minister, appear to have changed their tune or made some adjustments along the way. Some like Pratap Bhanu Mehta have asked relevant, tough questions. Other like Sadanand Dhume wonder what’s happening. Tavleen Singh and Meghnad Desai continue to offer advice although no one seems to be listening to them…

     

    Journalists who were once happy to be openly associated with the BJP are now shying away and trying for neutrality. Although in the popular discourse, all journalists are actually paid agents of the Congress party or Motilal Nehru’s grandfather, the reality, as everyone within the fraternity knows, is a bit different. Even the internet trolls, who reacted viciously to any slight adverse mention of Narendra Modi and the BJP appear to have lost their sting, as Shivam Vij analysed in a comment for newslaundry.com: http://www.newslaundry.com/2015/09/01/why-modi-bhakts-on-twitter-have-lost-their-sting/

     

    The rest of the media business seems to be business as usual: Managements coming down hard on newsrooms and editors for mentioning industrialists and their wives without approval and consent and more start-ups trying to grab the internet space.