News Broadcasting
Indiantelevision.com to host first ever CAS summit on TV ad scenario post CAS
MUMBAI: India’s First ever CAS Summit on the TV Advertising Scenario Post CAS will be held on 4 July at the Hyatt Regency Mumbai.
Hosted by indiantelevision.com, the National CAS Media Summit has over 300 trade professionals scheduled to attend the event that will be a meeting ground for advertisers, media planners/buyers, broadcasters and market researchers. Associate sponsors for the summit so far are Media Reach Research India Pvt Ltd and Broadband Pacenet India Pvt Ltd.
The burning issue of whether advertisers will begin shunning pay channels after the 14 July deadline will be addressed at the summit from the advertisers’ point of view, the media professionals’ angle and the broadcasters’ side too. At the same time, the question of FTA channels benefiting in terms of ad revenue at the cost of the pay channels will also be deliberated upon by all three. The hitherto unexplored option of cable channels and whether they too stand to benefit from the implemention of conditional access systems in the country will also be touched upon.
Meenakshi Madhvani, eminent media professional , Sandip Tarkas, president, Media Planning Group, Sameer Nair, COO, Star India Ltd, Kunal Dasgupta, CEO, SET India, Pranav Barua, Godrej Ltd, Paulomi Dhawan, Raymonds, Amit Ray, VP, Optimum Media (Mudra), Divya Radhakrishnan, VP, The Media Edge, and Ashutosh Shrivastava, GM, planning, Mindshare, are some of the panellists who will speak on the issues touched upon.
While audience measurement for television has thus far been the preserve of ratings like TAM, CAS is poised to usher in an era that will force us to look beyond ratings. A panel comprising experts like TAM India CEO LV Krishnan, media expert Raj Nayak, ETC Networks business head Jagjit Singh Kohli and Media Research marketing VP Kapil Anand will attempt to unravel the logistics involved.
CAS may well be the necessity that will foster a series of innovations on the part of all players connected to the television industry. Sam Balsara, chairman, Madison Communications Ltd, Ravi Kiran GM south & west, Starcom Worldwide, Vikram Sakhuja, managing director, Mindshare Fulcrum South Asia, M Suku, national director, Broadmind , Jasmin Sohrabji Grey Worldwide and a senior representative from Pacenet will attempt predictions based on their vast experience to envision what kind of innovations the morrow will bring.
Pacenet, Hathway, Siticable and In Cablenet, the major players in the STB arena, will demonstrate their products and their respective merits at the summit.
The moderators of the various sessions at the summit will be Anil Wanvari, founder and CEO, Indian Television Dot Com, Thomas Abraham, managing editor, indiantelevision.com and Samir Kale, president, CMCG.
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.
