I&B Ministry
Hack the ad spend: AAAI challenges marketers to optimise budgets smarter
MUMBAI: The advertising world is no stranger to budgets vanishing into thin air. Enter the AAAI Ad Spend Optimizer Hackathon—an electrifying initiative under the Waves Create India Challenge, where number crunchers, data wizards, and marketing maestros are set to redefine ad spend efficiency. Hosted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) in collaboration with the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), the hackathon promises to shake up the world of advertising analytics.
With 35 eager teams—one even joining from overseas—this hackathon is gaining serious traction. Slated to be a part of the much-anticipated World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (Waves), the event is set to unfold from 1–4 May 2025 at Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre & Jio World Gardens. With four core pillars—broadcasting & infotainment, AVGC-XR, digital media & innovation, and films—Waves aims to be the melting pot for India’s growing media and entertainment industry.
The hackathon falls under the broadcasting & infotainment segment, drawing participation from young professionals in advertising, marketing, and tech. Their mission? To use predictive analytics, machine learning, and statistical modelling to optimise ad spend and supercharge marketing ROI.
This is no cakewalk. The challenge is open to professionals with at least a year of experience in advertising, marketing, or data science. Solo players or teams of up to three can compete, bringing together expertise in data science, machine learning, statistics, and software.
Their task? To devise an ad spend strategy for TrimMaster, a leading male grooming brand with its flagship PrecisionTrim trimmer. Despite its popularity, the brand is struggling to push its awareness to the next level. Currently, TrimMaster’s unaided awareness score sits at 52. The goal? A solid 75. With a budget of Rs 2 crore, participants must craft a strategy that not only maximises visibility but also delivers measurable impact.
TrimMaster’s marketing team faces an uphill battle, including:
. Effective budget allocation: Deciphering the best mix of social, search, display, and video ads while accurately measuring impact.
. Measuring brand lift: Developing better metrics to gauge how digital ads truly influence brand perception.
. Maximising ROI: Ensuring every rupee spent results in substantial brand awareness and sales growth.
. Cross-channel synergy: Understanding how different platforms interact and influence each other.
Winners won’t just bask in glory. The top three teams will present their strategies at Waves, with travel expenses covered. On top of that, the champions will get a chance to attend major advertising festivals and conferences in India, fully sponsored by AAAI. Oh, and let’s not forget the bragging rights.
The AAAI Ad Spend Optimizer Hackathon is not just another competition. It’s a unique opportunity for professionals to challenge the norms, innovate ad spend strategies, and help brands like TrimMaster break through the noise. With artificial intelligence and data analytics at their fingertips, participants have the tools to redefine advertising in India and beyond.
Think you’ve got what it takes? Get ready to crunch numbers, outsmart competitors, and craft the future of ad optimisation.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
