iWorld
Blush and ITC Vivel collaborates with Pad Man present
health at immense risk during menstruation. From using mud & ash to dirty clothes, menstrual hygiene takes a backseat due to financial constraints and inaccessibility to clean products.
Culture Machine’s digital channel ‘Blush’ along with ITC’s Vivel collaborated with the cast of Pad Man to create a video titled ‘#AbSamjhautaNahin – The Shopping List’. An eye opening, spoken word piece, listing alternatives to sanitary pads that women in most parts of the country resort to during periods. What may seem like an innocuous list of household items on a shopping list for some, is unfortunately a de facto substitute to hygienic sanitary napkins for a majority of women in India. Right from old & dirty rags to unsafe objects like ash, coconut husk and hay, Sonam Kapoor & Akshay Kumar bring attention to the grave situation of menstrual hygiene in the country. The video concludes with the lead actors requesting viewers to donate a minimum of Rs. 400 to The Vatsalya Foundation in order to facilitate a year-round availability of sanitary pads to women in various parts of the country.
Rooted in its core brand philosophy Ab Samjhauta Nahin, Vivel, continues to empower and educate women to challenge stereotypes and help enable self-action. It firmly believes that no one should have to compromise on their dignity or be discriminated against. Vivel actively stands in support of equality and believes that for a more equal life, awareness and education is the first step to empowerment. This is reflected in the recent launch of www.absamjhautanahin.com, a website designed for a simplified understanding of laws and rights that women should be aware of. Vivel Ab Samjhauta Nahin is working relentlessly towards women empowerment with its continued support to organisations like Apne Aap Women Worldwide fighting to end sex trafficking of women and girls and Azad Foundation to help empower women feminist leaders at the grassroots level.
Culture Machine’s digital channel ‘Blush’ that stirred a debate with the release of a video around First Day of Period in the past says, “Blush Originals is reviving the conversation on menstruation. But this time, the purpose is much larger, and the canvas, bigger. We’d like to take the conversation beyond metros and air-conditioned offices. Vivel with its brand philosophy of Ab Samjhauta Nahin enables purpose and a deep rooted conviction to make changes at the grassroots level. This collaboration brings together some of the most influential voices to take the conversation about menstrual hygiene, methods of managing menstruation, cost of sanitary pads, ease of availability, taboos and habits, lifestyle choices and overall well-being to the masses. Conversations that lead to awareness, awareness that leads to knowing one’s rights, knowing that leads to action – and there’s only one action, that needs to be achieved: a perfect menstrual health card for this country.”
The Vatsalya Foundation, Director, Ms. Swathi Mukherjee, comments, “Inaccessibility to sanitary pads is one of the primary reasons for young girls and women to drop out of schools and work, respectively. The Vatsalya Foundation is focused on needs of our young women. It encourages a performance based livelihood with a dual purpose of enabling access and empowering women through financial independence. We are glad that menstrual hygiene is now set to become mainstream with a feature film focused on the issue and brands like Vivel supporting the initiative. With the funds raised through this video, we will be purchasing and distributing Sakhi Pads to underprivileged women.”
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah25qCdEpG8
Donation link on Ketto: https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/absamjhautanahin
iWorld
OTT piracy hits Rs 8,000–11,000 crore annually in 2025
Illegal feeds drain broadcasters as MIB task force moves slowly; OTT now main piracy source with 63 per cent share.
MUMBAI: India’s TV screens are leaking money faster than a pirate’s ship because when signals get stolen, the only thing sinking is the industry’s bottom line. DTH signal piracy has escalated into a multi-billion-rupee crisis for India’s broadcast sector, with illegal feeds causing an estimated Rs 22,400 crore loss in 2023 alone. Industry estimates show roughly 90 million users accessed pirated video content outside India in 2024, inflicting $1.2 billion (≈ Rs 10,000 crore) in notional losses equivalent to about 10 per cent of the legal video market. Without stronger intervention, projections warn this could balloon to 158 million users and $2.4 billion in losses by 2029.
Broadcasters and distributors report piracy now eats over 30 per cent of their revenues, crippling reinvestment in content and infrastructure. The shift is stark, while DTH once dominated pay TV, active subscribers fell to around 56.92 million in early 2025 amid subscriber churn to OTT platforms, which now boast over 547 million video streamers. Yet piracy has followed the audience OTT has become the primary source for illegal content, accounting for 63 per cent of such access and driving Rs 8,000–11,000 crore in annual losses for the streaming market.
The industry has repeatedly urged the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) to mandate forensic watermarking technology that embeds invisible identifiers in video streams to trace unauthorised feeds back to their source. Other proposed measures include physical verification for set-top box activations and location-based services. MIB established a task force to tackle the issue, and a nationwide consultation began in late 2025, but stakeholders say progress remains slow and the mandate too narrow, still excluding full coverage of cable and satellite networks.
The broader media and entertainment sector valued at Rs 2.5 trillion in 2024 faces mounting headwinds from piracy’s evolution. Cross-border enforcement remains complex, consumer preference for free content persists, and technological countermeasures spark an ongoing arms race. Without faster regulatory teeth and wider safeguards, broadcasters warn, the projected doubling of losses by 2029 could choke innovation and global competitiveness.
For an industry already squeezed by OTT migration, signal theft isn’t just theft, it’s a slow bleed threatening the very content that keeps viewers hooked. The question now isn’t whether piracy hurts; it’s how long the legitimate players can keep the lights on while the pirates keep the party going for free.
