MAM
Media pros find TAM blackout inconceivable; but readying for chaos
MUMBAI: That Television Audience Measurement‘s (TAM‘s) ratings are battling for survival is common knowledge. But how this will affect the advertising process on television? And also what will happen if broadcasters force their hand and have TAM‘s ratings shut down, if but for a while? How will media professionals buy and sell? Definitely questions that are worth taking a looksee.
And we spoke to that breed of professionals who create the ads, plan and do deals which go to make up the Rs 14,000 crore TV advertising spend in India – the ad agency pro, media planner and buyer.
Most expressed outright discomfort about the possibility of there being no TAM ratings; some even went so far ahead, disregarding it as speculation which will not come to pass.
AAAI president & Leo Burnett India south Asia chairman & CEO Arvind Sharma says: “We are crystal clear that advertisers will not work without the TAM ratings. There is no possibility that TAM ratings will be shut down.”
Seconding Sharma, Maxus worldwide CEO Vikram Sakhuja states: “TAM shutdown for now seems to be speculation. We are not considering this scenario and will be looking for TAM ratings for media buying.”
Mediacom MD Debraj Tripathy proffers his view: “Let‘s say hypothetically that I agree that there is a basic problem with the ratings. This doesn‘t mean that TAM has to be made to stop functioning. We have to address the problem instead of shutting down TAM. I am not open to discussion led by the mass and a unilateral decision. Any initiative against TAM has to be backed by data and research.”
Tripathy, however, said if it is found that there is data insufficiency or incorrect data being dished out by TAM, then “it (shutdown) is permissible for a while, until TAM can make some perceived changes or until some other currency starts.”
Most of them shuddered when they were told a TAM shutdown for a period is quite the way the broadcasters want to go. “There will be a chaotic situation,” says Vivaki Exchange COO Mona Jain. “Chaos,” shivers Tripathy. “I am not in favour of a unilateral decision by anyone as it will lead to utter chaos,” echoes Madison Media COO Karthik Laxminarayan.
But nonetheless they have braced themselves for it and are open to using other methods to plan and buying for critical advertising buying decisions.
Says Jain: “In the interim period when there will be no ratings, we will either go with earlier data; if not, for new shows that are being launched we will go by assumptions and gut-feel.”
Agrees Laxminarayan: “In case of no TAM, I will refer to earlier data or general assumptions.”
Is it possible that advertisers will hand TAM a life belt to allow it to stay afloat even though broadcasters are attempting to sink it, albeit temporarily? Sharma said, “Let‘s not get into that question because it is obvious that funds are needed for TAM; and worldwide, broadcasters have funded the TV ratings. The industry needs to find out a solution collectively.”
Hopefully. Until they do, it would be wise for all in the TV advertising value chain to get ready for a chilling TV-rating-free vacation.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
