MAM
ASCI upheld complaints against 82 out of 124 ads
MUMBAI: In April, Advertising Standards Council of India’s (ASCI) Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) upheld complaints against 82 out of 124 advertisements.
Out of 82 advertisements against which complaints were upheld, 44 belonged to Personal and Healthcare category. The category once again topped the list making the upheld rate at more than 95 per cent.
Complaints against 46 advertisements were file out of which 44 were upheld. The CCC found the following claims in health and personal care product or service ads, released in the press to be either misleading or false or not adequately / scientifically substantiated and hence violating ASCI’s Code. Some of the health care products or services ads also contravened provisions of the Drug & Magic Remedies Act.
Some of the complaints included HUL’s advertisement of Axe Extra Strong claims that Axe has a crazy effect on women. The ‘NSFW Make Them Strip’ video shows women turning into nymphomaniacs after smelling the deodorant. The TVC shows indecent depiction of women which is likely in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency to cause grave or widespread offence. Marico’s advertisement of Nihar Naturals Shanti Amla claims that “It is one of the fastest growing hair oil brands in the country.”
As well as Oriflame’s claim that Oriflame Optimals White has oxygen active that boosts skin cell respiration. It is World Exclusive Patented Antioxidant Technology that shields your skin against environmental stress on a cellular level – Oxygen Boost. Dr Batra’s Homeopathic Clinic’s advertisement claims that more than 1.41 lakh skin cases successfully treated. The success rate for “Psoriasis (Scaly Skin)” has been 90 per cent and for “White Patches” has been 89 per cent. The experience of treating over 1.41 lakh skin cases – (AQA) has super: Certified and Authenticated by AQA.
The category following it was education. The CCC found following claims in print advertisements by 21 different advertisers were not substantiated and thus, violated ASCI guidelines for advertising of educational institutions and hence the complaints against these ads were upheld: Times Centre for Learning advertisement of Timespro claims that get a top job in banks even before you start to learn banking. Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth claims that the Vidyapeeth is Ranked A++ by Business India. Ranked among Top 100 B schools in India by Dalal Street Journal. Most Promising B- School by Brand Academy. Ranked 57th in India, the Week and has given 100 per cent placements in past years.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
