MAM
HUL becomes top advertiser in week 39: Barc data
Mumbai: Hindustan Lever Ltd (HUL) was the most prolific advertiser across genres, according to the data shared by Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) for week 39 (from 25 September to 1 October). The FMCG major recorded an increase in ad volumes which stood at 5240.17 (‘000 secs), against 5097.68 (‘000s) last week.
Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd followed with 3229.9 (‘000s) and with ad volumes of 1039.32 (‘000s), Amazon Online India Pvt Ltd moved up two positions to bag the third spot in week 39.
Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd, Cadburys India Ltd, Colgate Palmolive India Ltd, ITC Ltd, Coca Cola India Ltd, Ponds India, and Procter & Gamble bagged the remaining positions.
There were as many as four digital brands in the most advertised brands list this week, with Amazon India leading the tally. Stepping up the game as it gets closer to the festive season, the e-tailer delivered ad volumes of 843.11 (‘000s). It was the top performer in week 38 with 651.4 (‘000s).
Meesho App, BYJU’S Classes, and Disney+ Hotstar were at the fifth, sixth, and seventh positions respctively. While Disney+ Hotstar entered the race in week 37, Meesho App and BYJU’S Classes were the new entrants.
The rest of the spots were occupied by FMCG brands such as Horlicks, Dettol Toilet Soap, Lizol, Dettol Antiseptic Liquid, Dettol, and Clinic Plus Shampoo.
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.
