MAM
Pubcaster to discuss possible legal action against TAM
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati, which has the largest reach terrestrially through local cable operators and around 20 per cent of the market through various DTH platforms, is also piqued by the way TAM has been side-stepping Doordarshan in the television ratings.
Encouragd by NDTV‘s lawsuit, Prasar Bharati is exploring legal options against TAM. Prasar Bharati chief executive officer Jawahar Sircar told indiantelevision.com that it was astonishing that TAM had never attempted to give importance to capturing DD‘s viewership with greater details despite it being the largest broadcaster and the fact that every platform has to mandatorily show its channels.
Sircar said that the pubcaster was also considering taking legal action against TAM and the action in this regard will be finalised in the meeting of the Prasar Bharati Board on 6 August afternoon.
The pubcaster was also in discussions with its legal counsel and their view would be placed before the Board, he added.
The issue has been raised regularly by the pubcaster with both the Ministry and the Parliamentary Standing Committee. In fact, with TAM covering a very small number of cities and towns, 62 million of 112 million TV homes were outside the ambit of television audience measurement ratings as they were in rural areas.
The action by Prasar Bharati comes close on the heels of the case filed by NDTV in a New York court against The Nielsen Co, a global research and information firm, and Kantar Media Research, the owners of TAM Media in this regard.
Doordarshan with a reach of 92 per cent in the country through 1415 transmitters has a terrestrial reach to around 25 million viewers, apart from those getting the feed through the DTH and other platforms. In fact, Sircar claimed that DD Direct Plus is reaching out to another ten million viewers, thus taking the direct reach to 35 million.
It has 37 channels including DD Bharati and DD National besides four allied channels like Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV.
The commercial revenue have been adversely affected because of being totally ignored by TAM which only wants to cater to private channels.
Doordarshan earned just Rs 7.94 billion – a little over half the projection of Rs 12 billion – during 2011-12 through commercial means.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
