Brands
Mangaldeep’s conversation with God with Bhumika Chawla
MUMBAI: ITC’s leading incense stick brand, Mangaldeep, has launched a unique ‘slice of life’ campaign that depicts everyday conversations with God.
With Bhumika Chawla as the protagonist, the brand delves into moments amidst the daily hustle and bustle of life that essentially provides an opportunity for a serene prayer and an intimate conversation with the almighty. The campaign also highlights the unique positioning of ITC’s Mangaldeep, which through its range of divinely fragranced incense sticks brings about a sense of calm and comfort when the mind is anxious.
The film opens with Bhumika Chawla amidst the daily morning rush at home, handling myriad aspects of a household and yet making time for a short but anxious prayer. The moment she lights the fragranced Mangaldeep incense sticks, a sense of calm prevails for a natural and peaceful conversation with God.
ITC Ltd chief executive for agarbatti and safety matches business Ravi Rayavaram says, “Mangaldeep’s ‘Conversation with God’ campaign reflects the spiritual core of every Indian. Devotion, prayer and invoking good for everyone, is a way of life for many. This simple life truth promoted by Mangaldeep through its recent campaign is rooted in its core brand philosophy of enabling every individual’s pursuit of devotion. Bhumika Chawla personifies the life of every Indian woman and the challenging morning moments in her life.”
R K SWAMY BBDO principal consultant Vivek Shenoy adds, “Unlike in a temple where there is a devotional ambience, in her everyday prayer space, the consumer struggles to connect with god unperturbed. In today’s day and age, prayer is often rushed, distracted and mechanical…even when we sit down to do it, a parallel monologue runs in the head that has nothing to do with connecting with the divine. The right fragrance can transform the mental state, creating the climate for that connection.”
Available across retail outlets in India, ITC Mangaldeep is the second largest agarbatti brand in India and the only agarbatti brand with a large national presence.
The Mangaldeep brand was launched and marketed by ITC’s Matches and Agarbattis Business Division since 2003. Within a decade of its launch, the brand achieved market leadership in the Dhoop category and a strong No.2 position in Agarbatti category with a combined consumer spend of over 750 crores.
Mangaldeep’s vision is to be the most loved enabler and partner in people’s pursuit of devotion and spirituality. In this regard, the brand has extended beyond quality incense products into services such as devotional content and religious tourism through its Mobile app. By enabling the daily pursuit of devotion of over 4 lakh users, it is among the highest rated devotional apps in India.
Brands
TV bills on the rise: JioStar, Sony, and Zee crank up prices by 10 per cent
Broadcasters tune into higher tariffs as JioStar, Sony, and Zee reveal new prices
MUMBAI: If you were hoping for a cheaper night in front of the telly next year, you might want to look away from the remote. India’s broadcasting giants are flipping the script on pricing, with JioStar, Sony, and Zee all tuning into a new frequency of higher tariffs. Ahead of the 2026 financial year, the Big Three have released their updated Reference Interconnect Offers (RIOs), signalling a collective push that will see most monthly bills rise by roughly 10 per cent.
The synchronised move suggests that broadcasters are testing the price elasticity of their audience. In simpler terms, they are betting that your love for daily soaps and live sports is stronger than your annoyance at a slightly lighter wallet.
Sony is making a particularly bold play in the High Definition space. If you enjoy the crispness of Sony Entertainment Television HD or Sony SAB HD, your monthly bill for those channels will jump from 25 rupees to 30 rupees. The same 30-rupee price tag now applies to their sports heavyweights, including Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 3 Hindi, and Sony Sports Ten 5.
However, Sony is also expanding its horizons. Fans of regional content have new arrivals to look forward to, provided they are patient. Sony Sports Ten 4 Kannada is slated for an April 2026 debut, while Sony Vizha and Sony Vizha HD are expected by June. By August, Sony Telugu and Sony Telugu HD should be live. To keep customers sweet until then, Sony is offering “proportionate discounts.” For instance, the Happy India 2026 Smart Tamil bouquet, normally 42 rupees, will cost just 29.91 rupees until the new Vizha channel officially joins the party.
On the standard definition front, Sony is keeping its “strategic mass price” at 19 rupees for big hitters like Sony Max, Sony Marathi, and Sony Aath. Smaller channels see minor tweaks: Sony Max 2 is nudging up from 2 rupees to 3 rupees, while Sony Yay! sits at 6 rupees and Sony Max 1 remains at 5 rupees.
Zee Entertainment is also getting in on the act with a comprehensive 10 percent hike. Their flagship Standard Definition channels, such as Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla, Zee Sarthak, Zee Kannada, and Zee Tamil, are all locked in at 19 rupees. Interestingly, they have matched this 19-rupee price point for many of their HD versions too, including &TV and &Pictures.
For those who prefer the all-you-can-eat bouquet approach, Zee’s All-in-One Hindi SD pack has risen to 58 rupees. Their Marathi and Bangla packs are now 64 rupees, while the Southern trio of Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu SD packs will set you back 85 rupees. If you want those same Southern packs in glorious HD, the price climbs to a steeper 131 rupees. Zee is also shuffling its deck by exiting English entertainment but entering the sports arena, with Zee Cafe and &flix seeing price adjustments to 7 and 8 rupees respectively.
JioStar is perhaps the most aggressive of the bunch when it comes to regional favourites. While they have kept core Hindi staples like Star Plus, Colors, and Star Gold at 19 rupees, they have pushed premium regional channels like Asianet, Colors Kannada, Vijay TV, and Maa TV up to 30 rupees. This move is significant because any channel priced over 19 rupees cannot be included in a discounted bouquet, meaning fans of these channels will have to buy them separately, potentially driving up the total cost of a monthly subscription.
Even the youngsters aren’t spared, with kids’ favourites like Nick SD and Nick HD+ now priced at 19 rupees. As we head towards April 2026, the ball is now in the court of the cable and dish operators. They must decide how much of these increases they can swallow and how much they will pass on to the person holding the remote. For the average viewer, the message is clear: premium content is getting a premium price tag.
