MAM
Sony Entertainment Network & Times TV Network pull the plug on TAM; others to follow?
MUMBAI: It‘s official. At the time of writing, two leading Indian TV networks, Multi Screen Media (which runs Sony Entertainment TV, Sab, Max, Pix and Six) and Times Television Network (which runs ET Now, Movies Now, Times Now and Zoom) had officially written to TAM Media Research informing its CEO LV Krishnan that they were stopping their subscription to the weekly TV ratings service from 6 June 2013. Hitherto, it had been reported that Sony was only mulling taking this step. TAM Media CEO confirmed that he had received the cessation notices from both the broadcast networks.
MSM CEO Man Jit Singh: his network is the first to stop subscribing to TAM‘s weekly TV ratings service
Apparently, more letters from the broadcast industry are likely to follow as many more members of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) have decided to stop their subscriptions to TAM‘s ratings, if sources are to be believed.
Says IBF president & MSM CEO Man Jit Singh: “There is a great deal of concern over the credibility and reliability of TAM. Seeing the fluctuations, which are happening since IPL and before that, we have decided to stop subscribing to TAM. The GEC market has shrunk by 20 per cent, which again puts a question mark over the reliability of TAM. Why would I pay for this? The entire IBF has complained and expressed their frustration. They even asked for a suitable explanation but we did not get one.”
Both Star India CEO Uday Shankar and Times Television Network CEO Sunil Lulla refused to comment when indiantelevision.com tried to get their viewpoint on the issue.
TAM‘s LV Krishnan: The show will go on; we will continue measuring TV viewership
But the fact is that TV ratings in India have always been a hotly debated subject. Now more
fat is likely to be added to the fire with this development with the doomsayers saying “I told you so, TAM‘s ratings are suspect, they are rigged and it will get its comeuppance some day. And that day has come.”
Krishnan, however, is taking the broadcasters‘ decision in his stride. Says he: “If anybody has any concerns we are always open for discussion. Our job is to provide quality and clean data and we will continue to do that irrespective of who subscribes or not. Our parent companies have funded us in the past whether there were subscribers or not. We will continue to measure viewership.”
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
