News Broadcasting
Tivo launches new parental control tools
MUMBAI: Since the beginning of television, parents, public policy makers and the entertainment industry have wrestled with the challenge of ensuring that their children watch only the programming that best suits them, their family and their values.
The challenge has become further complicated with the myriad of digital channels and programming for mature audiences, along with the explosion in kids programming choices, making the need for a simple, easy-to-use solution even greater than ever before.
American firm Tivo which creates television services for digital video recorders is tackling this problem head-on with the introduction of Tivo KidZone, a groundbreaking solution for the children’s television dilemma.
TiVo KidZone offers a first-of-its-kind solution, provides parents expert guidance and easy set-up to help them find and choose the television programming that is most appropriate for their family based on the individual needs and values of their household.
As part of this initiative, Tivo is partnering with American parenting and family groups including Common Sense Media and the Parents Television Council, the two largest grass roots organizations, with 4 million members between them, to create entire menus of recommended programming automatically provided right to the television set.
Moreover, a child is able to use the television set to enjoy these selections and other parent-approved programming, while parents can still use the Tivo service to automatically record their viewing selections and enjoy their favourites when they are ready to watch. In doing so, Tivo is offering the first real answer to the 50 year-old question of how to create the ideal television environment for kids in their own homes.
Tivo president and CEO Tom Rogers says, “Tivo’s promise has always been one of delivering “TiVo, TV your way” and today we are building on that foundation to further enable families to more easily find and display programming for their kids that reflects their family’s values and interests.”
“In creating Tivo KidZone, we are using the strength of Tivo’s unique technology to offer a powerful new solution that puts programming control in the hands of parents, guided by expert editorial recommendations that parents can choose from, and in doing so, creating a vast amount of television programming choices for kids to watch.”
“What TiVo has created is a simple means by which a parent can choose from an entire menu of weekly recommendations from expert organizations for what kids should watch and allowing them to automatically record all of those shows so that there will always be a full array of good programming choices for the kids to pick from. Furthermore, we are making it easy for parents to select specific programs or channels and allowing them to customize our experts’ recommendations even further. Most importantly, when TiVo is in KidZone mode, it won’t display other programming, both live and recorded, for access by children in the home,” adds Rogers.
The company says that Tivo KidZone represents an advancement over technologies such as the V-Chip deployed in many television sets in homes today. The V-Chip, which uses industry ratings on children’s programming to enable parents to block certain channels and programs has had its impact limited by the complicated nature through which it is deployed in a home television set. Moreover, while the V-Chip was designed to block certain programming, it does nothing to pro-actively help parents find and record the very best television programming for their children.
Rather than relying solely on industry ratings, TiVo’s new KidZone empowers parents to set their own standards via TiVo’s easy-to-use user interface and smart technology. As part of the offering, children will have their own space within the TiVo interface to enjoy their favorite shows, and parents get a password-protected place to make the decisions about what’s best for their children to watch. TiVo KidZone also allows subscribers to:
– Choose from entire menus of shows recommended by a variety of family organizations and set automatic recordings based on those recommended menus.
– Add or subtract specific programs or channels to further customise what is available for children
– Lock out all other programming or channels that are not specified for TiVo KidZone from access by children, while making all channels available when a parent wants to watch television
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.
