MAM

Industry hails eased lockdown restrictions, wants more from economic stimulus

Published

6 years ago

May 20, 2020

NEW DELHI: We are close to completing two months of the ongoing nationwide lockdown, instigated by the fatal global pandemic COVID2019, living through extraordinary times, adjusting to newer ways of working, and dealing with newer ways of living. Many businesses have faced unimaginable loss, with giants like Ola, Uber, Swiggy, amongst others, laying off employees in mass numbers, and brands like Cream Bell shutting down. Small-scale businesses, be it brands running the shop on Instagram, or independent agencies, everyone has faced dire consequences.

Amidst all this, the Indian government announced the fourth phase of the lockdown a few days back, with a lot of relaxations (depending on a state-to-state basis), and also introduced an economic stimulus package to help the businesses, especially the MSMEs, getting back on their feet, laying a foundation for ‘Aatmnirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India).

The advertising industry’s reaction to these announcements has been lukewarm. While most of them seem to be content with the new lockdown guidelines, they had higher expectations with the economic stimulus than served.

Reacting to the new lockdown guidelines, Havas Group CEO Rana Barua noted that it is very early to comment “as there are way too many mixed reactions from the industry. So, we will have to wait for a few more weeks to understand the implications.”

FCB India group chairman and CEO Rohit Ohri said, “India is a densely populated country and it is wiser to remove the lockdown in a phased manner. The government, I feel, is doing a great job at it.”

Madison Media chief analytics officer Nagaraj Krishnamurthy also lauded the government intervention in the matter. “The new lockdown guidelines try to balance life and livelihood. State governments have been given more power to decide on implementation. This is a welcome step as local government will be a lot more informed on the ground reality. Ideally, we may have wanted all restrictions removed so that crowd immunity gets developed. However, such a broad stroke easing of restrictions may not be practically possible.”

Dentsu One president Harjot Singh Narang feels that the current situation is much like watching a cricket match as things are happening in real-time and everyone is reacting according to the evolving situations in ways they think is the best.

He said, “(The steps) are being subjected to a billion viewers with multibillion views on what is being done and what more could be done differently. I strongly feel that at times of crisis like this, we need to let the frontline response team do its work and do our best to help them in any way possible. There will always be views (personal and public) on what more could be done for the economy, the migrant, the underprivileged, etc…. but for now I feel we are clearly looking to open up slowly and cautiously. Is it “too cautious” or “too early”, that only time will tell.”

The new economic stimulus, while great for the businesses, doesn’t hold much ground when it comes to helping to deal with the demand-side problems that India has been facing.

While Barua preferred to reserve his comments on the economic package for the time being, Krishnamurthy noted, “There have been very good announcements with regard to reforms. The government has used a crisis to unleash difficult reforms in holy cow sectors like agriculture and defence. Rural demand which was subdued will now improve. This will lead to lagged uplift in demand. However, in the strict meaning of stimulus which is a capital infusion, it is a tad disappointing. There is no sector-specific monetary stimulus for very badly hit sectors like retail, media, hospitality etc.”

He added that it is very much possible that the government will come up with one more round of monetary stimulus once the lockdown ends and people get back to work. “A true picture of demand will then emerge and the government can intervene to ease the pain faced by badly impacted sectors.”

Narang agreed to Krishnamurthy that the stimulus will help the business but there is a 50:50 chance of demands improving early. “If I try to put myself in the decision maker’s shoes – as of now the thinking behind the stimulus package seems to be – over-index and create more liquidity for businesses so they can pass it on to people as wages, profits etc, and that should increase demand overall. Additionally, push in big-ticket reforms to oil the business machinery and enable it to run faster and better thereby attracting large foreign businesses to set up production facilities in our country and keep the wheels of growth turning.”

“Sounds good in theory but the problem is that any thinking on supply-led growth is bound to take a long time as the economic multiplier kicks in and gets demand grows. Given the suffering around us and the sentiment that has fallen sharply ever since 2019 and now the complete nosedive of 2020, this time span could be even longer. This situation could jeopardise the whole theoretical possibility of it working. However, if the reforms kick in quickly and we do get to become a producer-led economy for large business investments, then even though we will go through a painful period for some time the recovery could be more robust and sustainable than a simple consumption-led growth model that we seem to have until 2018.” he added.

Both Narang and Ohri said that it would have been better if the government had put money directly in consumer’s hands.

Ohri suggested relief in taxes to support the dwindling spending power. Narang said, “I would look to put money in people’s hands directly as much as possible through tax reductions and direct transfers to the underprivileged but am not sure on how much the current coffers of the government could support this and how much of it could become just a short-term measure to alleviate pain without a mid- to long-term strategy to kick in long-term restructuring and growth that truly reduces inequality all around.”

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Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

5 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

5 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

MAM

Washington Post CEO exits abruptly after newsroom cuts spark backlash

Leadership change follows layoffs, protests and a bruising battle over trust.

Published

5 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the presses are rolling but patience runs out, even the editor’s chair isn’t safe. The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive and publisher Will Lewis is stepping down with immediate effect, bringing a sudden end to a turbulent two-year tenure marked by financial strain, newsroom unrest and public backlash.

Lewis’s exit comes just days after the Bezos-owned newspaper announced sweeping job cuts that triggered protests outside its Washington headquarters and a wave of anger from readers and staff. While newspapers across the US are grappling with shrinking revenues and digital disruption, Lewis’s leadership had increasingly come under fire for how those pressures were handled.

The Post confirmed that Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the organisation last year as chief financial officer, has taken over as CEO and publisher, effective immediately. In an email to staff, later shared by reporters on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

The leadership change follows the announcement of large-scale redundancies earlier this week. While the Post did not officially confirm numbers, The New York Times reported that around 300 of the paper’s roughly 800 journalists were laid off. Entire teams were dismantled, including the Post’s Middle East bureau and its Kyiv-based correspondent covering the war in Ukraine.

Sports, graphics and local reporting were sharply reduced, and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended. On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and supporters gathered outside the Post’s downtown office in protest, calling the cuts a blow to public-interest journalism.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the moment as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”

Lewis defended his record in his farewell note, saying “difficult decisions” were taken to secure the paper’s long-term future and protect its ability to publish “high-quality nonpartisan news”. But his tenure coincided with growing scrutiny of editorial independence at the Post.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced criticism for reining in the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial page and blocking an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 US election. The move was widely seen as breaking the long-standing firewall between ownership and editorial decision-making.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, around 250,000 digital subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the paper declined to endorse Harris. The Post reportedly lost about $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues slid.

While the wider newspaper industry continues to battle declining print advertising and the pull of social media, some national titles have stabilised. Rivals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have managed to build sustainable digital businesses, a turnaround that has so far eluded the Post despite its billionaire backing.

As Jeff D’Onofrio steps into the role, the challenge is stark, restore confidence inside the newsroom, win back readers who walked away, and prove that one of America’s most storied newspapers can still find its footing in a brutally competitive media landscape.