MAM
Government hikes print ad rates by 26 per cent
MUMBAI: The government has fired up the print market with a sharp 26 per cent hike in advertisement rates, giving newspapers a long-awaited financial shot in the arm as they battle spiralling costs and fierce competition from digital rivals.
Media rates for black and white ads in dailies, calculated per sq cm for one lakh copies, have been raised from Rs 47.40 to Rs 59.68. The government has also cleared the committee’s call for premium pricing on colour ads and preferential placements, in a bid to align state communication with the real economics of print.
The last revision dates back to 2019, when the 8th Rate Structure Committee set prices for a three-year cycle. Since then, inflation has bitten hard, newsrooms have thinned, and print houses have struggled to keep operations viable.
Officials say the bump will help steady the sector. Higher state-ad rates will give publishers critical revenue support, protect local newsrooms and enable investments in quality content, especially at a time when digital platforms divert attention and advertisers.
For the government, the revision sharpens communication effectiveness across a diverse media landscape, ensuring campaigns reach citizens through trusted and established channels.
With the new rates locked in, the print industry finally has wind in its sails and it is gearing up to turn that tailwind into fresh momentum.
MAM
Gurpreet Singh named President of DishTV Alumni Network
Former Dish TV executive to lead community building and collaboration.
MUMBAI: Back to the dish, but this time it’s about connections, not channels Gurpreet Singh is returning to familiar territory with a new mandate that swaps subscribers for relationships. Singh has been appointed President of the DishTV Alumni Network, a move aimed at strengthening ties among former employees and building a more engaged professional community around the Dish TV ecosystem. The initiative reflects a growing trend among large organisations to formalise alumni networks as platforms for collaboration, mentorship and business opportunities.
The appointment draws on Singh’s deep-rooted history with Dish TV, where he held multiple leadership roles over nearly a decade. As National Business Head between June 2019 and September 2020, he oversaw profit and loss as well as operations, managing revenues of Rs 6,000 crore and leading a team of around 1,250 employees across the country. His tenure included working alongside two regional business heads and 16 circle heads, underscoring the scale of operations he handled.
Prior to that, Singh served as Executive Vice President and National Head for Sales and Revenue from 2016 to 2019, and earlier as Senior Vice President and National Head for Sales and Revenue. He also briefly led international operations as Country Head for Sri Lanka, further expanding his exposure across markets.
His broader career spans leadership roles across telecom and consumer businesses, including a stint as Chief Operating Officer at Bharti Airtel’s Malawi operations, senior leadership roles at Reliance Communications, and earlier positions at Hindustan Sanitaryware and Kodak India, where he spent over a decade.
In his new role, Singh is expected to focus on reconnecting former employees, fostering collaboration, and building a structured alumni ecosystem that leverages shared experience and industry networks. As companies increasingly recognise the long-term value of their extended workforce, the DishTV Alumni Network appears set to turn nostalgia into a strategic asset, one connection at a time.
