Entertainment, tamasha, sex, crime and, of course, some news; Is news becoming a four-letter word
These days it’s very difficult to distinguish while surfing whether you are on an entertainment channel or a 24-hour news channel. What do you say when the top five programmes on news TV are based on crime, sex and sleaze? MD and Editor-in-Chief, exchange4media, Anurag Batra takes a look at where the news channels are headed.

There is a friend of mine who is a passionate sports lover and always keeps saying that however popular and mass-based cricket might be, it still does not qualify as a sport in his scheme of things as cricket is an entertainment and not sports. I may be about to kick off another debate than the one I want to raise here, so let me contextualize it. These days NEWS TV is no longer news TV.
I can say that I watch more than one hour, typically two hours of TV every day, and most of it is dominated by news channels. I am not counting the news TV that plays in my office all the time. These days it’s very difficult to distinguish while surfing whether you are on an entertainment channel or a 24-hour news channel. When you see Sushmita Sen it’s not necessarily only on ‘Koffee with Karan’. If you watch Rakhee Sawant, you are perhaps watching India's latest leader in the Hindi news domain. We in India have interesting and new news formats and maybe we can evangelise them to the world at MIPCOM. Hey guys, don't forget to give me my commission.
The ‘entertainisation’ or shall I say bastardisation of Indian News domain is complete. Sample these catchy lines and promos – ‘Masjid mein sex’, ‘Mandir mein nanga naach’, ‘Saanp bana hero’, ‘Beti ka Aashiq’ – these are real stories from real news channels, at least channels that started as news channels and still claim to be news channels. I am not even talking of B-rung news channels, but the top 10 players.
Are we pushing the envelope too far? Has the viewer been rediscovered by editors and marketing heads as voyeurs? Entertainment is masquerading as news. I remember almost two years back when one of India's foremost iconic journalists quit the institution of news in India (it's a four letter word) and deserted the father of television news journalism in India, I was told by a close associate of his that apart from the lure of moolah this gentleman had quit as a protest against the bunty and bubblisation of news. But is everyone in the news TV domain following the same rules and doing more of the same?
Peddling titillating snippets, starlets talking about failed relationships and daughters-in law pulling the plug on incestuous fathers-in-law. What do you say when the top five programmes on news TV are based on crime, sex and sleaze?
The new entrants have really pushed it far. Without taking names, almost all the Hindi news channels are guilty of peddling soft porn, if I may say so, to viewers. These editors and journalists entered this profession to make a difference. Public interest has been sidelined for appeasement through titillation. Are English news channels guilty of the same? Yes, but to a lesser extent and tend to focus more on their discovery of breaking stories or impact stories.
However, one can clearly see that these stunts work in the short term, but are not effective in the medium and long term and that's my view. Viewer connect has taken a new meaning. You have to spend money buying Hindi sleaze novels or porn CDs. NEWS TV, or shall I say SLEAZE TV, is free on air. Yes, there are a few serious human interest, political, developmental and policy stories that affect our lives. This is merely to stay ahead and maintain their brand image.
I was one day jokingly saying why are the two large news networks entering the entertainment domain again, they are already in the entertainment domain and competing with other players in the same domain. It actually seems like a real situation. I have also seen the widespread resentment and reservation against the draft content code formulated by the I&B Ministry and I agree with some of the worst fears of our broadcaster and journalist friends. But, we do need regulation of TV content, especially television news content. Yes, the big players talk of self-regulation and subjectivity of the current policy, but somebody has got to blow the whistle.
BBC and CNN in that order are still serious and credible sources of news to me because of their sustained editorial stance. Big Brother is really watching. Let television news be television news and not a reality show with stars thrown in or sleaze TV.

This article is excerpted from Pitch. Pitch is a monthly magazine on Marketing and Adverising.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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