MAM
Michael interview rakes in advertising moolah
LOS ANGELES: Ever wonder why the media goes into a feeding frenzy over the weird and wacky ways of reclusive pop icon Michael Jackson? It could also be in part due to the kind of advertising TV networks that showcase the superstar pull in.
The latest documentary on the tragi-comic charecter has certainly been no different. British broadcaster Granada’s Living with Michael Jackson comes a good seven year’s after his last interview in 1995 with Diane Sawyer. He and then wife, Lisa Marie Presley were both featured on it. Since the Sawyer appearance, Jackson hasn’t done an extensive interview with an American television network.
ABC, which bagged the rights to Living with Michael Jackson after a fierce bidding war with NBC, is expected to rake in more than $10 million for the show that aired on prime time in the US on Thursday. Certainly makes the $5 million that ABC coughed up for the 90-minute interview seem less outrageous now.
Granada’s airing of the documentary in the UK netted an average of 14 million viewers on Monday, around double the usual UK viewer figures for entertainment programmes.
The documentary, consisting of exclusive interviews conducted by British journalist Martin Bashir over eight months with the reclusive star, peaked at 15 million viewers, giving it 54 per cent of the TV audience.
Michael has been quoted as saying he felt “devastated and betrayed” by Bashir’s portrayal.
In the case of ABC, advertisers have paid more than $250,000 for each of the 30-second spots during the show, say media reports.
The two-hour telecast had about 20 minutes of network advertising as against the Indian average of 28-36 minutes of advertising in a two-hour period.
Media reports say Michael’s interview with Oprah Winfrey averaged 63 million viewers in 1993 and his Sawyer interview earned 38 million viewers in 1995.
Buying family medical insurance online in India has become a common option for individuals who want to secure health coverage for multiple family members under a single policy. However, many buyers are unsure about the exact steps involved in selecting and purchasing the right plan online.
In this guide, you will know the step-by-step process of buying family medical insurance online in India, along with the key factors to review before purchasing a suitable policy.
Step 1: Assess Your Family’s Healthcare Needs
Before buying online health insurance, check the healthcare needs of all family members. Check age, existing illnesses, regular medicines, and the likely need for hospital care later. This helps in selecting a suitable sum insured, policy type, and level of cover. It also reduces the chance of buying a plan that appears suitable but does not meet actual medical needs.
Step 2: Visit the Insurance Company’s Official Website
After understanding the family’s needs, visit the insurer’s official website and read the plan details carefully. Use the official platform to review eligibility, policy wording, waiting periods, cover details, exclusions, and renewal terms.
This step gives a clearer understanding of how the policy works before payment is made. It also helps avoid confusion caused by incomplete summaries on other pages.
Step 3: Compare Available Family Health Insurance Plans
A family medical insurance policy should be compared on factors beyond the premium. Review the sum insured, hospital network, room rent limits, pre- and post-hospitalisation cover, daycare treatment coverage, and waiting periods. It is also important to check treatment sub-limits and specific policy conditions.
Careful comparison helps determine whether a plan provides balanced coverage and whether its terms are suitable for the healthcare needs of the entire family.
Step 4: Choose the Right Policy and Start the Online Purchase
Once the options have been compared, select the policy that best fits the family’s medical needs and budget. Before starting the application, review the covered members, policy term, benefits, and main conditions again. This is an important stage because errors here can lead to the wrong cover amount, an unsuitable variant, or missing details that create problems during policy use.
Step 5: Calculate the Premium Using an Online Calculator
Use the online premium calculator before making the final choice. Enter the correct details, including age, city, number of insured members, and selected cover amount. The result helps in understanding the expected premium and whether the policy fits the annual budget. This step is useful because it allows cost and coverage to be reviewed together, instead of choosing a plan only because the premium looks lower.
Step 6: Fill in Personal and Medical Details
When filling in the proposal form, provide accurate details for each insured member. This includes name, date of birth, contact details, medical history, ongoing treatment, and previous insurance information if required.
Every answer should be complete and truthful. Incorrect or missing details can create difficulty later. Before you submit the form, read every section again and correct any mistakes.
Step 7: Make Payment Through the Secure Payment Gateway
After checking the form, go to the payment page and complete the transaction through the secure payment gateway. Review the premium, policy term, and entered details once more before confirming payment.
After the transaction is completed, save the receipt, reference number, or confirmation message carefully. Keeping this record is useful if you need to track the purchase or follow up on policy issuance later.
Step 8: Download and Keep Your Policy Document Safely
Once the policy is issued, download the policy document, schedule, and any related papers without delay. Read them carefully to confirm member names, policy period, sum insured, and major terms. Save a digital copy in a secure folder and keep a printed copy if needed. Proper record keeping makes future renewals, document checks, and policy servicing easier and more organised when information is required quickly.
Conclusion
Buying health cover online becomes easier when you handle each step with attention. From checking your family’s needs to reading the final document, every stage helps you make an informed choice. A careful approach can reduce mistakes, improve your understanding of policy terms, and help you choose coverage that matches your household’s medical needs, financial capacity, and long-term healthcare planning in a reliable way for your family over the long term.
