News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak turns three
MUMBAI: For the TV Today group, the year-end was an occasion to celebrate twice over. The group’s flagship channel Aaj Tak turned three on 31 December 2003.
Aaj Tak, which is the first 24-hour Hindi news channel to uplink from India, has also been rated one of the most successful brand launches during the past seven years in the Brand Derby study conducted in September 2003.
Accolades have been coming in for the channel with good frequency. At the prestigious The Indian Telly Awards 2003, the channel walked away with the Television News Channel of the Year award while Prabhu Chawla of Aaj Tak picked up the TV News Anchor of the Year award.
According to a company release, Aaj Tak claims to have a viewership of approximately 27.3 million viewers, which the release states, has managed to create a unique platform for the advertisers to reach out to their target audiences.
The release also claims that Aaj Tak commands approximately 30.4 per cent of the total news market. The release further attributes this high channel share to the superior understanding of the audience preferences based on the management’s experience in the news business, editorial excellence, independent distribution and sales capabilities, customised state-of-the-art technology and a motivated team of well-qualified professionals.
Further, TV Today’s initial public offer (IPO) in its birth month in 2003 turned out to be a runaway success. The IPO that closed on 27 December was over subscribed 36.26 times at Rs 95 per share. The TV Today Network (TVTN) has mopped up a whopping Rs 49 billion as a result of over subscription without any support from foreign institutional investors who were not allowed to participate in the initial offer.
TVTN had offered 14.5 million shares through the book-building route. The issue constituted 25 per cent of the fully diluted post issue paid-up capital of the Company. The shares will list on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India this month. TVTN will be allocating 50 per cent of the issue to qualified institutional investors while 25 per cent of the offering will be allocated to retail investors and non-institutional investors each.
With the news channel space getting divided amongst more and more players, it remains to be seen if Aaj Tak will carry on walking the talk in its fourth year as well.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
