MAM
Will Zee Tele be an exception to ban on political ads?
NEW DELHI: While most broadcasters are smarting under a ban reiterated by the Election Commission and the government, relating to political advertising on TV channels, Zee Telefilms feels it can be an exception, turning the whole issue into another soap opera.
Armed with a written permission from the Election Commission on political advertisements, given to it in 2002, Zee Telefilms feels it could go ahead with political ads.
“We have a written permission from the EC itself, allowing us to accept political ads till the time campaigning is allowed before the actual voting. We have carried such ads in the past on Zee News and on Zee TV and hope to do so this time too,” Zee Telefilms vice-chairman Jawahar Goel said.
Though Goel insists that the almost two-year old EC missive to Zee is still enforceable, till the time of writing this report, the legal validity of EC’s 2002 letter could not be properly ascertained.
The EC was not available for immediate comments on Zee’s claims. But legal experts pointed out that if a (favourable) Andhra Pradesh high court ruling on political advertising on TV channels can be bypassed on the ground that the court was not aware of the clauses in the Cable TV (Network) Regulation Act banning political advertising, the 2002 EC letter could also be treated as an aberration.
“Even the EC cannot go against the law of the land and, moreover, the letter with Zee is now quite old to be upheld as implementable now in a changed scenario,” a legal expert told indiantelevision.com, adding, however, that the case needs to be examined further to arrive at some concrete conclusions.
Still, Goel feels that such curbs on the electronic medium would only give rise to more malpractices. “What would EC and the government do if TV channels start selling editorial airtime — take money for airing the speech of a politician or a candidate — in cash deals where no documentation is kept?” Goel asked, pointing out that curbs would only lead to “encouraging such deals, which would be a slur on democratic processes.”
CAN GOVT. NOW AMEND RULES?
An interesting question that gets thrown up as the issue of political ads is debated whether the caretaker government could effect amendments in the existing rules and regulations — may be through an Ordinance — to facilitate airing of political ads on the telly.
Senior government officials point out that it can be a possibility if the pressure is intense enough for the President to promulgate an ordinance, effecting changes in the CATV Act. But can such a pressure be built up? Officials say that if all political parties make such a demand, then the EC can call for an all-party meet, deliberate on the issue and if there is wide consensus on allowing ads on the telly, request the government to look into the issue.
In such a scenario, the government may recommend to the President promulgation of an executive order in this regard. But the President too has to be fully convinced that such an unprecedented step is justified in the public interest and is of national importance.
The plausibility is there, but fraught with too many ifs and buts.
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.
