MAM
Govt pushes for adequate representation in BARC
MUMBAI: Don‘t mistake the alternative television ratings system to be under the total control of the private broadcasters, advertising agencies and the advertisers. The government is pushing for adequate representation inside BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council), the new entity that will lay out the television audience measurement system in India.
BARC has been formed with the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) having a 60 per cent stake and the remaining 40 per cent being shared equally between the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA).
Prasar Bharati, the public broadcaster, was to benefit from the formation of BARC as the TV ratings coverage would have spread across wider geographies. Now the government also wants DAVP (Directorate of Advertising and Publicity) , which channelises all advertising spends made by the government, to have some voice.
In a meeting on 4 September called by the government and attended by the IBF, the AAAI and the ISA members, the government has said that it wanted adequate representation. “The Information and Broadcasting ministry asked us what steps were being taken to include the Prasar Bharati and the DAVP (in BARC).They want adequate representation from Prasar Bharati and DAVP to have adequate representation in BARC to look after the Government‘s interest. We have heard the suggestions and will consider them,” AAAI president and Leo Burnett chairman and CEO of India subcontinent Arvind Sharma told Indiantelevision.com.
The meeting was chaired by I&B ministry secretary Uday Kumar Verma.
The three bodies were also asked to nominate an advisory committee on BARC by the end of next week .
“The push has been to move BARC forward. The secretary has asked us (AAAI, IBF and ISA) to nominate a high powered committee whose role will be to guide and advise (on BARC) by the end of next week. We as BARC need to identify and concur on the names,” said Sharma.
During the meeting, the secretary also referred to the Amit Mitra Committee report which suggested that statisticians, sociologists and demographers should form part of the technical committee.
Brands
Zscaler, Airtel launch India AI Cyber Research Centre
New hub to boost cyber resilience and trusted AI use
NEW DELHI: As India’s digital engine roars ahead, so do the risks riding shotgun. In response, Zscaler, Inc. and Bharti Airtel have joined hands to launch the AI and Cyber Threat Research Center – India, a national initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s cyber defences and accelerating responsible AI adoption.
The centre is designed as a multi stakeholder platform that brings together industry, government and academia. Its mission is clear: protect critical sectors such as telecom, banking and energy, shield everyday digital users, and future proof India’s fast expanding online ecosystem.
India has long been a major innovation hub for Zscaler, with a substantial portion of its cyber research talent based here. With this new centre, that footprint evolves into a national collaboration engine. The idea is simple but ambitious, build in India, for India, and help power the country’s journey towards a secure and digitally self reliant future.
The timing is telling. India is building digital systems at population scale, not just enterprise scale. That scale has widened the attack surface dramatically. At the same time, cyber criminals and nation state actors are deploying AI to scan, probe and exploit vulnerabilities in minutes.
Zscaler’s research arm, ThreatLabz India, reports millions of infiltration attempts every month. These include espionage campaigns linked to regional geopolitical tensions, 1.2 million intrusion attempts from 20,000 sources targeting 58 Indian digital entities, and a rise in zero day exploit attempts across multiple industries.
In such an environment, perimeter based security models are struggling to keep pace. The new centre aims to push a shift towards secure by design systems and Zero Trust architecture.
Its strategy rests on four pillars: protect through real time intelligence, remediate by working directly with government agencies, facilitate adoption of AI driven security and Zero Trust frameworks, and build a stronger cybersecurity talent pipeline through specialised certifications.
As founding members, Zscaler and Airtel will combine global threat intelligence with local network visibility. Zscaler will deploy a dedicated India focused research team and draw insights from its Zero Trust Exchange platform, which processes over 500 billion daily transactions worldwide. Airtel, meanwhile, will contribute deep visibility into IoT and mobile traffic, helping detect suspicious activity faster and coordinate response across the ecosystem.
Bharti Airtel executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal, said the partnership extends Airtel’s commitment to safeguarding customers and the nation’s digital fabric. He added that the collaboration would address challenges unique to the Indian market and encourage secure and confident digital engagement.
Zscaler chief executive, chairman and founder Jay Chaudhry, said India’s digital ambition cannot be secured with legacy firewalls and VPNs. He noted that a modern Zero Trust architecture is essential for a hyper connected world and that the new centre would harness the scale of Zscaler’s global security cloud while empowering a new generation of Indian cyber defenders.
Additional members from critical public and private sectors are expected to join the initiative in the coming months, expanding its scope and deepening collaboration.
In a world where threats travel at machine speed, India’s answer is to think faster, collaborate wider and build smarter.
