For a share of the ad pie..

Is the Rs 6000 crore ad pie largeenough to sustain a slew of new channels? Meenakshi Madhvani, CEO, Carat, amedia company, strikes a pessimistic note. “News channels grossed betweenRs 250-300 crore in 2002. Even if they were to earn an additional Rs 330 crorethis year, keeping a 15 per cent growth rate in mind, the money would not besufficient to sustain five new national channels.� Othersbelieve news channels will follow the Aaj Tak Hindi path and break even withinthe first year itself. Anand Bhardwaj, senior associate director, Lowemaintains,�Advertisers have always operated on the basis of offeringalternative fares for high and low viewership categories. Aaj Takstarted the trend of moving away from multinationals and allowing the smallerretailers to hop aboard. This trend is expected to continue and already NDTV ispromising a specific Delhi feed for local advertisers. Media analystIqbal Malhotra, chairman AIM, says, “Traditionally news channels have beensubsidised by entertainment channels. But today, several media groups arestarting channels to acquire political clout.�