MAM
Tata Sky and Lokmat among 9 ads in May that ASCI indicts
MUMBAI: India‘s advertising watchdog, ASCI, has upheld complaints made against nine advertisements in May, including that of Tata Sky‘s tirade against cable TV and Marathi newspaper Lokmat‘s tall circulation claims in Pune.
The Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) found Tata Sky‘s print ad stating ‘Cable is just a Dabba‘ as unfairly denigrating other products. The direct-to-home (DTH) operator was referring to the cable set-top boxes (STBs) as ‘dabba‘ implying that it was of non standard or poor quality box, which is not the fact.
The ad, which appeared in The Hindu‘s Chennai edition (dated 30 March 2012), contravened Chapter IV.1 (e) of the Code, ASCI pointed out.
In the wake of digitisation mandated by the government, DTH operators have launched aggressive ad campaigns to take away share from cable TV networks. Airtel digital TV, for instance, launched an ad stating “Sirf Cable Nahi Life Badlo”, urging consumers to make the shift away from cable to DTH.
The government has fixed 31 October as the deadline for digitisation in the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, pushing back the sunset date of analogue cable by four months.
The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI also upheld the complaint against Lokmat‘s ‘No. 1 Newspaper‘ ad in which the Marathi daily claimed to have added 65,000 readers in SEC A segment in Pune. The watchdog pointed out that Lokmat did not mention the period over which this growth has been attained, which in itself is misleading.
As per IRS 2011 Q4, in the last quarter Lokmat has added only 5000 SEC A readers in Pune city. The CCC concluded that Lokmat‘s claim in Pune was misleading as the advertisement did not mention the reference period pertaining to the source data. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.4. of the ASCI Code.
Brooke Bond‘s ad to promote its Red Label Natural Care Tea brand was indicted for not adequately substantiating the claims made for enhancing immunity by consuming the tea product. In the ad, Broke Bond had said that the product has a “scientifically proven combination of five ayurvedic ingredients (tulsi, ashwagandha, mulethi, ginger and cardamom) to strengthen “your body‘s defence” and, thus, helps in protecting “you and your family from cold, cough and flu”. It further stated that it “is clinically shown that drinking three cups of Brooke Bond Red Label Natural Care daily helps enhance one‘s immunity”. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code.
Another complaint upheld was IMS – Score more at BBA / BBS. The ad that appeared on its website claimed that ‘143 IMS students got selected into SSCBS in the year 2011‘. The ad shows a bar chart showing selection of IMS students into SSCBS over the years 2008 to 2011. The CCC concluded that, in the absence of validation by an independent agency / Chartered Accountant, the claims mentioned in the advertisement and cited in the complaint, were not substantiated.
Glenmorangie‘s print advertisement which appeared in Conde Nast India in the February 2012 issue was complained against and upheld. The ad states: “Why is it so important that we only use our casks twice? Taste Glenmorangie and the question becomes rhetorical”. The visual depiction of the brand name is suggestive of a well-known brand of liquor- Glenmorangie. In the absence of specific information, the ad appears to be a surrogate advertisement for Glenmorangie. The CCC concluded that it was surrogate ad for a brand of alcohol- Glenmorangie. The advertisement contravened Chapter III.6 of the Code.
Alchemist‘s claim of ‘India‘s most successful MBA prep‘ was pulled up too. It has not been backed up and substantiated and there is no validation / check by any independent agency that confirms this claim. In the absence of any proof, supporting information, from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claim, ‘India‘s Most Successful MBA Prep‘ was not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code.
Shree Maruti Herbal‘s print advertisement on ‘Maruti Stay -On Capsules & Oil‘ was complained against and upheld for claiming it ‘helps improve vitality, stamina and energy‘. The website also claims ‘Stay-On guarantees – Sexual performance of adults in all age groups‘. The CCC concluded that the claim, ‘helps improve vitality, stamina and energy‘, was not substantiated. The advertisement contravened The Drugs & Magic Remedies Act. Also, the advertisement tends to create, by implication, a perceived inadequacy of physical attributes, in this case the impotence and infertility, which could be objectionable to both men and women. The advertisement contravened Chapters I.1, III.4 and I.5 (d) of the ASCI Code.
Jake‘s Beauty-Spa-Salon & Academy received a complaint related to its design and copy. It is similar to the Complainant‘s ad of ‘Schnell Hans Salon Spa & Academy‘. The CCC concluded that the headline, ‘Your Passport to Success‘, was similar to the complainant‘s advertisement and, thus, suggested plagiarism. The ad contravened Chapter IV.3 of the Code.
The ad of Nikon camera was also upheld. According to the complainant, the TV commercial required permission from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) for the use of birds in advertisement or films. In the application by Nikon, permission was asked for four sparrows to be shown in their natural habitat with a girl playing and passing through. In reality, the birds turned out to be cockatiels which are being used as toys by the girl and perch on her shoulders among other things. The CCC concluded that as the requisite permission was not received from the AWBI to shoot cockatiels in the TVC, it was in violation of The Performing Animals Registration Rules 2001. The advertisement contravened Chapter III.4 of the Code.
During the month of May, the CCC also received complaints against five television commercials. The complaints were received against the ads of Midas Care‘s Clean & Dry cream, Sprite Cold drink, Emami‘s Fair & Handsome for Men, Gillette Mach 3 and Extra Strong Axe. However, as these ads did not contravene ASCI‘s codes or guidelines, the complaints were not upheld.
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.
