News Broadcasting
Political parties push the parcel with TV ads
MUMBAI: Today is the day of reckoning for political parties staking their individual claims for the Assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Chhattisgarh.
For the parties concerned, it has not only been about trying to throw positive spins about themselves to the news channel teams on the campaign trail. There has been a lot of advertising time taken up as well over the last ten days or so with the Congress leading the way, albeit only on Sahara Samay’s region specific news channel Sahara Samay MP.
It needs noting here though that parties taking up ad spots only in the last few days was less about strategy and more about Election Commission (EC) directives. It was only on 22 November that the EC lifted its ban on advertisements by political parties and candidates in the electronic media.
A detailed examination of Tam Media Research data on advertising on news channels in this period reveals a variety of interesting – and rather peculiar – trends.
Last week saw Congress going overboard with maximum advertising time (11580 seconds) restricted to a single channel – Sahara Samay Madhya Pradesh (MP).
At first glance, this would seem a strange choice considering that the Sahara Group has for long been known as a Samajwadi Party loyalist (a party which promoter Subrata Roy is said to have close ties with). But the Congress’ choice could also be an indicator that Sahara Samay MP has managed a good reach across the state.
A senior Congress leader in the party’s media cell admitted to this saying, “A lot of airtime has been taken keeping in view the prospect of the party in different states.” He said that in states where the party’s chances were doubtful, more air time was taken.
That the Congress message goes across MP is important because all pre-poll indications are that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) firebrand and “sexy sanyasin” Uma Bharti will come up trumps over the incumbent Congress chief minister Digvijay Singh.
Admitting in private that MP may cause problems for the party, the Congress leader said, “That’s why we have concentrated on MP through channels that we perceived can deliver more and reach out to the masses beyond the bigger towns and cities of the state.”
Moreover, Sahara Samay is understood to have offered air time to political parties at very competitive prices, the Congress leader said.
The BJP on the other hand, has been far more democratic as far as taking up ad time on the different news channels are concerned. While Zee News (2,700 seconds) gets the maximum in terms of ad time, even NDTV India, which it has often accused being pro-Congress, gets a healthy 1,895 seconds worth of ad spots.
Sahara Samay MP was the top channel in terms of duration of political advertising. While Congress was advertising solely on Sahara MP, BJP also aired 2,530 seconds of ads on this channel.
Strangely, Hindi news channel leader Aaj Tak, aired only 630 seconds of political ads all of which were by the BJP.
And as for Star India’s Star News, there was no advertising seen at all, as per the Tam data. According to Star News brand director Keertan Adyanthaya, “This was an editorial call we took that we will not accept political ads. We didn’t want to take money from any political party because we want to remain independent. Our credo has always been neutral news coverage.”
Adyanthaya explained, “Our channel content has always been in the interest of the viewers. And this is not something we want to publicise. It is just the way we are and the way we’d like to be known.”
The Tam statistics revealed that while Congress was the top advertiser, BJP has made its presence felt in the most channels. The party placed its ads in Zee News, Sahara MP, Sahara Samay, NDTV India and Aaj Tak.
The Tam study states that the ads were placed anywhere between 7 am to 12 midnight till Saturday evening (when campaigning closed), and were spread evenly across all hours. The report also suggested a slight increase in the number of ads between the 6 pm -7 pm time band.
Of the other political parties airing ads on news channels were Janta Party on Ushe TV, Jantadal United in Udaya TV and National Conference (NC) on Alpha Marathi.
That’s another strange one. Whyever would a Kashmiri party like the NC want to send across its message on a channel that specifically addresses Maharashtrians? The answer is still awaited from Alpha Marathi.
Leaving that aside, it is now “wait with bated breath” mode for the over 5,000 candidates vying to win the confidence of an estimated 90 million voters in the four states. The results of the polls will be out on 4 December, when it will be known whose message has gone across better with the voter.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
