MAM
TV networks flay Trai for ad regulation
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India does not have the mandate to regulate advertising and any content-related issues, according to a majority of the stakeholders who have responded to the review call by the broadcast sector on capping ad duration on television channels.
The consumer rights organisations or individual consumers, on the other hand, have welcomed Trai‘s decision to regulate advertisement time. Some have also called for a Consumer Redressal mechanism to check violations as they find the endless running of ads on certain genre of channels a serious irritation.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci), however, is not among the forty-odd respondents as the Consultation Paper does not deal with content but only with regulatory issues relating to duration and timing of commercials.
Indian Broadcasting Foundation, the apex organisation of television broadcasters, says the paper “appears to have been issued in an injudicious manner in so far as it reflects on the Authority’s power to regulate content on television channels”.
The present consultation paper posits that the heavy reliance of Indian broadcasters on advertising revenues is due to the “non-addressable nature of the cable TV networks,” and “gross under declaration of the subscriber base”.
“The under-representation of subscription revenues in the business model of Indian broadcasting is also due to a decade of excessive regulation of subscription models — including tight retail rate regulation, increasing interference in wholesale rate-setting, and maintenance of “must-provide” mandates that prevent platform differentiation and unnecessarily restrain competition,” the IBF said.
The IBF further added that over-regulation was responsible in creating the industry’s current imbalances. It suggested that the key to resolving the imbalances lies in progressively remedying the ills at their cause.
The federation also pointed that Indian broadcast industry has one of the lowest monthly ARPUs in the world under $4 vs $60-120 for developed nations, as per Ficci-KPMG 2012 report.
While reiterating Trai’s own position as stated in Tdsat, Star TV India says the regulator has no jurisdiction to regulate advertising as per extant laws, rules and regulations.
Star argues that any shrinking of advertisement space is likely to impact broadcaster’s ability to offer superior and differentiated content to their viewers at an affordable price. It says Trai’s proposed recommendations are retrograde, will substantially increase the costs to consumers, will burden advertisers with higher costs, and will drive out marginal and smaller advertisers from advertising their products on national television.
Zee TV says that curtailing advertisements would mean infringing on the fundamental right of free expression quoting Supreme Court judgments to say that any kind of restriction on media ads would be violative to the fundamental rights of Speech and Expression as enshrined in the Constitution.
It has also questioned why TV is being targeted while newspapers are free to carry any amount of advertising. It suggested that the issue of advertising which is purely a content issue should be left to self-regulation as at present any attempt/suggestion to regulate the same would be highly detrimental for this sector. It also said that several TV channels will be forced to close down with severely restricted ad time.
Times Television Network says it would be better for Trai to concentrate on smooth switchover to digital access systems instead of spending its time on issues like advertisements, which have been clearly addressed in the CTN Rules. While stressing that Parliament has already passed the CTN Rules and Trai cannot override those, it also questions the regulator making a difference between free to air and pay channels as arbitrary, unwarranted, and not based on sound facts.
A response by Vijay Television and Asianet Communications on behalf of South Indian regional channels questions the jurisdiction of Trai. It says the paper fails to provide adequate justifications for a differential regime for Pay and FTA channels and also does not take into account the unique business model of regional broadcasters who operate in challenging regime of sky rocketing content acquisition costs and an onset of Carriage spends which makes mockery of the “Pay revenues” earned from the MSOs and cable operators.
They say regulation in advertisement would eventually lead to heightened subscription fees, the burden of which may have to be ultimately borne by the consumer. Additionally, this could lead to further reduction in the quality and variety of content, thus leading to the commodification of the entire content industry.
Brands
Boeing appoints Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering function
Seasoned finance leader to steer budgets and strategy across global centres
BENGALURU: Boeing’s finance cockpit has a new pilot, and he is no stranger to turbulence or transformation. Boeing has appointed Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering, placing him at the centre of financial strategy for its worldwide engineering and technology operations.
Based in Bengaluru, Barun steps into a role that is as expansive as it is critical. He will serve as the primary finance lead for Boeing’s Engineering and Technology Centers globally, working closely with executive leadership to shape financial decisions, manage complex budgets, and design scalable finance processes that support the company’s growing engineering footprint.
In a note announcing his move Barun said, “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Boeing Global Engineering. This opportunity is incredibly meaningful to me not just from a professional standpoint, but also for what Boeing represents globally.” He added that he looks forward to contributing to an organisation that continues to shape the future of aerospace and innovation.
Barun’s mandate spans strategic financial leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement. From directing large-scale budgets and schedules to influencing long-term organisational goals, the role blends financial discipline with business foresight. He will also lead cross-functional teams and partner with finance colleagues worldwide to support engineering programmes across geographies, including India.
The appointment caps a long stint at Juniper Networks, where Barun spent over a decade, most recently as finance senior manager. There, he led FP&A for global product business units and G&A functions, driving budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning. He also played a key role in enterprise-wide transformation, including spearheading an Oracle to SAP ERP migration and building advanced analytics capabilities using tools such as Tableau and SAP Analytics Cloud.
His earlier career includes finance leadership roles at Sony India Software Centre, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Mphasis, where he focused on financial planning, governance frameworks, and operational efficiency across global delivery centres.
A chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Barun brings nearly two decades of experience across financial planning, digital transformation, and analytics-led decision making.
His appointment comes at a time when global engineering operations are becoming increasingly complex and distributed, requiring sharper financial oversight and agile planning. With Barun at the helm of FP&A for engineering, Boeing appears to be tightening its financial playbook as it looks to scale innovation with discipline.
