MAM
Kolkata’s Academy of Fine Arts condemns blogger Avijit Roy’s killing
KOLKATA: Activists, artists, intellectuals and writers staged a protest in Kolkata to condemn the killing of Avijit Roy – a Bangladeshi-American blog writer in Dhaka last week.
Roy was also the founder of Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog site, which champions liberal secular writing in Bangladesh.
Organised by Bhasha O Chetona Samiti (Language Awareness Society), a Kolkata-based organisation for promotion of Bengali language and culture, the protest saw people gather at the Academy of Fine Arts to condemn Roy’s killing and called for fighting against fundamentalism.
Roy, a 42-year-old bio-engineer working in the United States, was hacked to death by two attackers wielding machetes in Bangladesh capital Dhaka on 26 February, when he was leaving a book fair with his wife Rafida Ahmed Banna, who was also seriously wounded in the attack.
Religious radicals had been threatening Roy over his active campaign against Islamist extremism and for improving secularism in Bangladesh.
As per reports, it should be noted that India as a county has reacted sharply over gruesome killing of liberal author Roy by suspected terror operatives and warned that such acts of extremism aided by groups like Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) could further fuel terrorism in region, a day ahead of Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar’s visit to Bangladesh.
The United Nations (UN), US State Department, UK and the European Union (EU) have condemned the murder of Roy.
MAM
T20 WC 2026 ad volumes rise 4 per cent despite fewer brands: TAM report
Fewer brands, bigger bets: India matches and top players drive ad surge
MUMBAI: Advertising during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 may have become leaner in participation, but it certainly packed a stronger punch. A new analysis by TAM Media Research shows that ad volumes per match rose by 4 per cent compared to the 2024 edition, signalling sharper spending even as the advertiser base narrowed.
The numbers tell a tale of two trends. On one hand, the overall count of categories, advertisers and brands dropped steeply by 55 per cent, 63 per cent and nearly 68 per cent respectively versus the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. On the other, those who stayed in the game appeared to spend more aggressively, driving higher ad intensity across matches.
India’s pulling power remained unmistakable. Matches featuring the Indian team generated 66 per cent higher ad volumes than non-India games, underlining the country’s outsized influence on cricket’s commercial engine. The tournament final also saw an 18 per cent jump in advertising volumes compared to 2024, pointing to stronger monetisation at the business end of the competition.
The shift towards concentration was equally striking. The top five advertisers accounted for 39 per cent of total ad volumes, unchanged from the previous edition, but the names themselves saw a complete shake-up. OpenAI emerged as the leading advertiser with a 12 per cent share, followed by Coca-Cola India at 9 per cent and Mahindra & Mahindra at 8 per cent. Apollo Tyres and Reliance Consumer Products rounded off the top five.
A similar churn played out at the brand level, with no overlap in the top five brands between 2024 and 2026. At the same time, leading categories tightened their grip, with the top five accounting for 53 per cent of ad volumes, up from 42 per cent earlier. The cars category led the pack with a 15 per cent share, followed closely by e-commerce services at 14 per cent and aerated soft drinks at 11 per cent.
When it came to format, brevity ruled. Ads between 11 and 20 seconds dominated commercial breaks, making up over half of all spots, while shorter sub-10 second creatives followed as the next preferred choice.
The broader takeaway is clear. Even as fewer players entered the arena, those that did were willing to spend bigger and smarter. In a tournament where every over counts, advertisers seem to be playing a more focused, high-impact innings, betting on scale, timing and the enduring magnetism of cricket’s biggest stage.
