MAM
I&B ministry clueless on tobacco ad ban implementation
NEW DELHI: The Indian government has brought about a ban on promotional activities of tobacco and tobacco-related products like chewing tobacco, but it has no mechanism in place to see effective implementation and monitoring of the ban.
Most of the promotional activities that were being undertaken by tobacco companies were in various segments of media and the nodal ministry for this sector, information and broadcasting ministry, is totally clueless on the issue.
According to a senior official in the I&B ministry, the ban, effective from 1 May, has been put into effect through a notification issued by the health ministry, which has not communicated anything till now to the I&B ministry on its monitoring aspects.
“It has been brought to our notice off and on that surrogate advertising relating to tobacco products continue on various TV channels, but we have not been told to set up a monitoring mechanism, ” the official told indiantelevision.com
The tobacco industry, which contributes approximately Rs 70 billion to the government by way of excise, will be forced to cut down Rs 2,500 million of their advertising budget with the ban. According to industry sources, the ban is going to take a heavy toll on tobacco companies, outdoor ad agencies, hoarding suppliers, charity organizations that rely very much on the tobacco companies’ sponsorships, etc.
For example, the much-touted Filmfare Award has Manikchand as the presenting sponsor, a company that is a big player in the flavoured chewing tobacco products category, apart from having business interests in other sectors like real estate. Similarly, Red & White cigarette brand also backs an annual bravery award event where achievers from normal life are feted.
Quizzed on the monitoring aspect of the tobacco ban, a health ministry official explained that there were early days of the ban and over a period of time the effort would be to put in place a monitoring mechanism.
Even the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), an apex body of broadcasting companies operating in India, is clueless on the issue, though it has a sub-committee that screens surrogate liquor advertisements.
A source in the IBF, when asked about the ban, evasively said, “The issue has not (NOT) been brought to the Foundation yet. But if told by the I&B ministry the members may discuss the matter.”
It seems that the media is waiting for the I&B ministry to show the path ahead, while the ministry itself is unsure about the whole issue.
But experts say that the media does stand to loose revenue with this ban. According to Starcom Worldwide India (west/south) managing director Ravi Kiran, print would lose approximately Rs 1,000 million, while TV will see Rs 350 million evaporating. A Rs 100 million loss is estimated for cinema, while for outdoor hoarding it could be Rs 600 million. Internet, radio and sports, however, would suffer only negligible loses with the ban, he says.
MAM
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
