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HUL repeats roadblock on Star channels
MUMBAI: FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) is once again hosting a roadblock across all the Star network channels. The ad exclusivity on the Star channels will be on 29 October. Lux will occupy centre stage, replacing Lifebuoy that HUL promoted last time. Unlike last time, the HUL brands will also block out other ads on Star‘s south-language channels including Asianet. “HUL will pack its 20 brands in this roadblock strategy. The payout to Star could be around Rs 80-90 million,” a source tells Indiantelevision.com. Earlier, HUL had also conducted a similar roadblock across 25 Zee Network channels. Though approached, Zee did not want to upset its other advertising clients. Says Zee Entertainment Enterprises chief revenue officer Joy Chakraborty, “We were approached by HUL this time as well. We are open to the concept of roadblock advertising, but do not agree to have it on a monthly frequency as it would upset our other clients. We see it as a good strategy only on a quarterly basis.” In a recession-hit market when advertisers are heavily cautious on their spends, conducting roadblocks seems to be the new innovation to gain optimum brand exposure. For the broadcasters, it also provides an excellent opportunity to bring in advertising premium. HUL had blocked advertising on Star and Zee network channels in September this year. MTV had also conducted a similar roadblock with Bingo on 1 April and with Cadbury on 1 July. Avers MTV India GM and SVP content and creative Ashish Patil, “MTV has been doing these stunts since 2003. We do not just roadblock but also create content to support the brands.” Elaborating further, he says, “On 1 July, we did the stunt with Cadbury, where we also created two promos for them with the theme ‘khush hai jamana aaj pahli tarikh hai’. The entire day was branded as ‘pay day’ on MTV. Cadbury even used our promos on other channels.” Earlier, in 2007, Hutch had conducted a network roadblock on Star to introduce its brand change to Vodafone. |
MAM
IAS launches Total TV suite to boost transparency in CTV ads
New solution offers programme-level insights across platforms and publishers.
MUMBAI: In the world of streaming, what you see is not always what advertisers get and that’s exactly the problem IAS is looking to fix. Integral Ad Science (IAS) has unveiled ‘IAS Total TV’, a new suite of Connected TV (CTV) solutions aimed at bringing what it calls “linear-like” transparency to the fast-growing streaming ecosystem. In simple terms, it is an attempt to make digital TV advertising a lot less of a black box.
The offering aggregates programme-level data covering genre, ratings, language, shows and specific content from major platforms including Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount and Prime Video, along with opted-in publishers via Publica. All of this is housed within the IAS Signal interface, giving advertisers a unified view of where their ads actually appear.
The timing is hardly accidental. According to Nielsen, as of Q4 2025, 74.2 per cent of all TV viewing in the United States is ad-supported. Of that, streaming alone accounts for 45.6 per cent outpacing traditional television and cementing its position as the largest ad-supported medium. Advertisers have followed suit, funnelling premium budgets into CTV, but often without a clear, standardised view of performance or placement.
That gap is precisely what IAS is targeting. By combining content insights with media quality, supply path data and campaign outcomes, the platform aims to give marketers more control over when, where and alongside what content their ads run. The goal is not just visibility, but accountability ensuring ads land in brand-suitable environments rather than disappearing into opaque inventory pools.
The suite also promises practical gains. Marketers can access real-time, aggregated transparency across shows and platforms, streamline campaign controls across digital video channels, and leverage third-party verification to improve efficiency and pre-bid decision-making. Measurement tools extend to quality reach and incremental conversions, offering a clearer link between spend and outcomes.
At a time when high CPMs and fragmented data make CTV both attractive and complex, the push for transparency is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity. IAS’s move reflects a broader industry shift, where the race is no longer just for eyeballs, but for clarity on what those eyeballs are actually watching.
Because in streaming’s premium playground, knowing the content may just matter as much as owning the audience.
