MAM
Television channels step into the Great Outdoors
The world is a communications village. And television is one of the media for facilitating that communication. Today it is no surprise to see the same channel being beamed simultaneously all over the world, with some tweaking to make it suitable for local tastes. In India television has exploded into our homes over the past decade with more than a 100 channels making a beeline for eyeballs.
This makes for a highly competitive industry with each player’s survival hinging on a dedicated viewing of its programmes, by a large and ever increasing base of people. That is its only source of revenue (apart from subscription fees). The larger the number of people who watch a channel’s programs, the greater is the possibility of advertisers getting interested in using it as a vehicle for advertising their brands. The more the advertisers who placed their adverts on the channel, the higher its revenue. The fatter the take-home packet on the revenue front, the more the channel can invest in better and refined contents.
TV channels form an integral part of the entertainment industry. By definition, entertainment, as the word suggests, is an ongoing activity. One that must be entertaining, enjoyable and most importantly, novel on an everyday basis. Repetition, on television, creates boredom and causes irritation.
“Oh God, I saw this yestraday and again in the afternoon!! I’ll switch channels and see if there is another one that is showing new and refreshing fare,” are the viewers’ thoughts.
In such a scenario how can a TV channel find the high ground ? How can it increase its viewership without taking a hard hit?
How can it make more and more people stay glued to its programs?
How can it do this such that it matches its change in its program content?
Which is the medium which offers immediacy, is communicative, is eyecatching, offers colour, is seen by a large number of people who are walking, commuting, shopping, or driving to or from work and offers short duration contracts and is not prohibitive in terms of costing? The answer if you have guessed by now, is The Great Outdoors, mate.
Take a look at the comparitive advantages that hoardings/billboards offer over other media vehicles. In fact, it would not be an idle boast if one said they are idle for television channels and producers who are looking at a good way to target viewers and specific audiences.
Newspapers: Newspapers offer the benefit of immediacy. But they are read only by their base of readers. A TV channel would have to advertise at a very high frequency for the program content to be known and viewed by its base of readers. Hence, in terms of reach and cost, newspapers work out to be an expensive option.
Magazines: Mags like newspapers, can be read only by the base readers. Hence, they are an expensive proposition.
The Great Outdoors:
* The medium offers immense repeat viewership of a communications message, without incurring any repetitive costs. About 10 strategically located sites, in Mumbai, would offer the advertiser a solution that would help him cover the mass of the audience in the city.
* In the great outdoors, the medium is the message. It’s the editorial or content ambience that determine readership or viewership of a medium. Billboards or hoardings fit that to the tee, they provide advertisements with a high “opportunity to see.”
* As far as billboards or the outdoors are concerned the audience has zero access cost and no threshold at all to receive the communication – except for the gift of vision.
* Due to the heavy fragmentation/ high clutter of media like Print and TV, the time spent on these media by audiences has reduced considerably.
*The Outdoors is considered to be a ‘mass’ media vehicle while all other media are increasingly defining themselves to a particular audience by content, design etc.
* Visual imagery can be enhanced through the use of top quality illumination and well executed creative, thus helping billboards achieve their promise as traffic stoppers. In the process, they well may help build quick brand awareness.
Savvy marketers at select television channels, have given a shot in the arm to the hoardings business, stepping into the vaccuum left by dot com clients who disappeared once the hype died down. Television marketers who have not used hoardings to their maximum potential would do well in taking another hard look at the medium.
Brands
Jubilant Foodworks to end Dunkin’ franchise in India
Pizza chain operator will not renew agreement when it expires at end of 2026.
MUMBAI: When the doughnuts stop turning and the coffee goes cold, even a global giant like Dunkin’ can find the Indian market a tough brew to crack. Jubilant Foodworks has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with Dunkin’ when the pact expires on 31 December 2026, according to a Reuters report. The operator, best known for running Domino’s outlets in India, said it would evaluate options for its existing Dunkin’ stores, including a potential sale or transfer of franchise rights, in consultation with the US-based brand.
The decision follows years of underperformance in a market where local tastes and intense competition have made it difficult for international coffee-and-doughnut formats to gain traction. Jubilant, which has increasingly focused on its core pizza business and newer bets like Popeyes, indicated that the exit would not materially affect its financial or operational position.
Dunkin’ accounted for just 0.61 per cent of Jubilant’s revenue in the fiscal year ending 2025 and recorded a loss of approximately Rs 191 million, according to a regulatory filing. The company operated 27 outlets as of December 2025, having shuttered seven stores over the preceding year.
The retreat comes even as Jubilant’s broader business shows signs of momentum. The company reported a 65 per cent rise in quarterly profit for the October to December period, reaching Rs 70.9 crore, up from Rs 42.91 crore a year earlier.
For Jubilant, the exit reflects a sharpening strategic focus. For Dunkin’, it marks another setback in a market that has proven resistant to imported café concepts without significant localisation.
In the cut-throat world of Indian quick-service restaurants, sometimes the sweetest deals are the ones you quietly walk away from leaving more room for the brands that truly rise to the occasion.
