News Broadcasting
ET Now completes nine years in the business news genre
MUMBAI: English business news (EBN) channel ET Now completed nine years of its existence on 17 June. It has also been a year since the channel revamped itself last August with the tagline ‘rise with India’. The move was to go beyond just business clips to be a holistic channel.
The channel claims that its debate show The Development Debate has shown consistency in ratings. ET Now managing editor Sandeep Gurumurthi said, “We want to play an active role in shifting the public discourse back to issues of development. We are today, the only channel doing that. But I am hopeful that over time, others will see merit and follow suit.”
EBN genre is still very niche with only five channels in the race – CNBC TV18, ET Now, BTVI, NDTV Profit and CNBC TV18 Prime HD. The genre contributes to less than one per cent of the total TV pie, where ET Now holds a comfortable position.
On the competition, Gurumurthi said, “We hope CNBC-TV18, BTVI and all other channels catch up with us and help us in shifting the media narrative back to development. I think it’s all about making a choice.”
He believes that the biggest challenge EBN channels are facing right now is that the genre has been boxed into a niche category apart from all the challenges that general English news channels face.
ET Now reaches 28 lakh viewers every month on an average with strong viewership from the six metros. Mumbai has traditionally contributed the most to viewership and remains the trend as informed by Gurumurthi. There are some channels that get disproportionate viewership from markets like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. “There are also instances where for some business channels, a market gets active for three weeks contributing 70 per cent to their viewership and then for the rest of year contributes three or four TVTs,” he added.
He believes that the channel’s strategy remains to consolidate its position as a credible, independent and unbiased provider of news and insights to the get-ahead Indian. The aim is to do whatever it takes to remain consistent with the channel’s tagline. With the four upcoming assembly elections, the channel intends to cover them with the same intensity and rigour as a general news channel would.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
