News Broadcasting
J Walter Thompson is DD’s new image consultant
MUMBAI: Doordarshan is getting a makeover.
With the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson (formerly known as HTA) having bagged its the brand management account for the financial year 2003-2004, the pubcaster will now get its long overdue image overhaul.
JWT was selected from amongst nine ad agencies. The others in the running were Ogilvy, Lowe, FCB Ulka, TBWA Anthem, RK Swamy BBDO, Equus Redcell, Crayons and Ushak Kaal.
JWT, which will work on a monthly retainership worth Rs 6 million a year, will handle total branding and strategic planning of all campaigns, development of creatives for print, outdoor and internet advertisements, ideas and concepts for conferences and events etc. This is the first time that DD has hired a professional advertising agency to handle its brand management. Hitherto agencies were appointed on assignment basis.
While the creatives will be handled by JWT, the buying , if at all, would be taken care of by Prasar Bharati itself. DD has already entered into agreements with several print medium products for a barter deal for advertsiements related to DD.
DD Director General, Dr SY Quraishi says: “Despite our reach and preeminent position in several areas, we are faced with an image problem. We are keen to correct the public perception of our image.”
The pubcaster, along with JWT, will be adopting an aggressive strategy and besides multimedia campaigns, shall also extensively use its barter arrangements with leading newspapers and magazines to place its advertisements.
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
