MAM

‘KBC2’ associate sponsors: 6 down, 2 to go

Published

21 years ago

July 10, 2005

MUMBAI: As the clock ticks for the launch of KBC2, what Star India has billed as the biggest by far TV event of 2005, six associate sponsors have been finalised.

The six associate sponsors being Airtel, Nokia Gujarat Ambuja, LIC, LG and Hyundai.

According to industry estimates, Airtel, which is the exclusive mobile operator for KBC2, is paying between Rs 280 – 320 million (SMS revenue sharing inclusive). And excluding Airtel, the estimated rate for the remaining five sponsors has been pegged between Rs 130 – 150 million each.

Says Star India executive vice president ad sales Kevin Vaz, “Six associate sponsors have been frozen. We are going to be upping the rates for the last two sponsors as there is plenty of time before the programme starts. We are in discussions with a couple of FMCG advertisers and a two wheeler company for the same.”

As for the other branding opportunities that the show allows for – currently Airtel has bought the ‘Phone a Friend’ bug and LIC has bought the ‘Money Tree’ bug. Adds Vaz, “We will be selling the in-programme bugs after we sell all the sponsorships. We would like to give the sponsors the first right of refusal. A couple of clients are very interested in the cheque as well as the computer branding but we will close all the bugs only after we have sold the sponsorships.”

If one looks at the six sponsors and their spending appetite on mass media in the past, clearly Gujarat Ambuja and LIC are surprises. Gujarat Ambuja is typically a print-led advertiser with total advertising spends across TV and print being Rs 100 – 110 million. Why a cement company would park all of its monies at one place is definitely worth pondering. According to media analysts, the reasons attributed are competition. With Grasim on an overdrive mode consolidating their various cements as well as their buy out of L&T (rebranding itself as Ultratech), Gurat Ambuja is probably looking at a corporate brand enhancing exercise repositioning itself thorough a high profile property like KBC2. A point worth noting here is that this will be the biggest deal a cement company has entered into on television per se. Cement as a category is an extremely low involvement product. So, a property like KBC2 will ensure consumer’s mindspace and hence give a top of mind recall.

As for LIC (Life Insurance Cooperation of India), it usually freezes its advertising budgets in March. This will be LIC’s first ever annual deal. Also, with the onslaught on private players, LIC has probably realised that before it loses its monopoly position, the time has come to reiterate the brand and its values to its customers.

LG has predominantly been a major cricket spender apart from LG CDMA. LG seems to be a question in doubt as to their strategic intent to tie-up with a KBC2. With LG keeping a very low profile in the recent past; it is not very clear as to what its agenda is. Nokia on the other hand, is a brand that usually advertises on niche channels. After the last cricket World Cup, Nokia allocates 40 – 50 percent of their spends to impact baskets, the rest being weekly magazines, outdoor tie-ups and print. The exception was Indian Idol, although the monetary stakes for KBC2 are far bigger. In essence, Nokia will be entering the mass platform for the first time in such a big way.

Hyundai are moderate spenders and more skewed towards print and niche channels as well. This time round, Hyundai is probably ensuring itself a huge reach platform and property so to combat Maruti’s latest offering Swift.

Interestingly, most brands that have come onto KBC2 are male skewed brands This in all has enabled KBC2 to bring into its basket a wider range of advertisers who are not very active on Star Plus. KBC2 will also therefore help broadbase Star Plus’ advertiser base.

Validates Vaz, “All the sponsors confirmed so far are not the regular high spenders on Star Plus. We have signed up with advertisers across various categories like cement, telecom, insurance and consumer durables. Some of these categories have got onto television for the first time in such a big way.”

All female brands usually coming from the FMCG sector, targeting male audiences has always been a mammoth task; cricket being seen as the only impactful but heavy cost medium. Explains a media analyst, “The brands on KBC2 are all male skewed. This makes sense as male brands usually need to be constant for some time. So, considering KBC2 is a property where the lock in period is high, it makes for a sensible buy for these brands”

While a KBC2, forces one to pool in resources for a total of six months, “brands that stand to take a risk will actually gain in the long term. KBC2 will force a brand to be constant, to be constantly in advertising space, in the consumer’s mindspace on a big media window for a consistent period,” adds another media professional.

If one breaks down the estimated deal of the associate sponsors (130 -150 million) and across the entire 85 episodes (5100 seconds) then the approximate spot cost for a 10 seconder comes to Rs. 2,74500. Which is approximately the cost of a spot buy on Kyunki…

Considering a total of 600 seconds of advertising time, and 60 seconds blocked per sponsor (assuming 6 sponsors), 360 seconds are blocked for associate sponsors; thereby leaving only 240 seconds for spot buys.

Spot buys which will go at a heavy premium is estimated anywhere between Rs 3,50,000 – 4,00,000 for 10 seconds.

Is it worth the monies? Vaz retorts,”KBC2 cuts across audiences and hence appeals to every brand. Every advertiser we have spoken to has been very upbeat about the programme and are very convinced that KBC2 will be the biggest thing on television this year. The six sponsors already on board are not the regular high spenders on Star Plus and the believe in the power of KBC2.”

Says Madison media director Sudipto Roy,”Every brand that has made some headway in the last two years have been risk takers. If a brand has to risk, it would rather be a risk on KBC2 than a much talked about cricket series which delivers an average TVR of a seven or an eight.”

Brands

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

4 weeks 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

4 weeks 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

4 weeks 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.