The whole TRP scandal has put many reputed news channels under scanner. With a lot of flak against Republic TV, its anchor Arnab Goswami and others, Bollywood also joined the growing voice of anger with a lawsuit against those spreading hate and using derogatory words like 'scum,' druggies,' 'dirt' and 'filth' in the context of Bollywood's drug scandal. But taking a more decent stand, two of the oldest and household names in India have made a strong statement with the decision to blacklist hateful TV channels for ads.
Parle G and Bajaj Auto have decided to stop advertising on channels that air toxic news content. Ad revenue is a crucial aspect of keeping news channels running. With two big names backing out of advertising sends out a strong message to the industry.
"We are exploring possibilities wherein other advertisers can come together and sort of put a restraint on their advertising spends on news channels, so that there is some sort of a clear signal to all the news channels, that they better change their content," Krishnarao Buddha of Parle Products — the maker of Parle G biscuits, was quoted as saying by the Mint.
Bajaj Auto also made the announcement to blacklist hateful TV channels for ads last week. The auto maker's managing director Rajiv Bajaj told CNBC TV18 that it would never be associated with anything that is "a source of toxicity our society."
"Our brand would never be associated with anything that we feel is, beyond reasonable doubt, a source of toxicity in our society," Bajaj said.
Twitter praises Parle G, Bajaj Auto
With the announcement made by both these renowned brands, Twitter users were vocally glad and happy to have seen such a trend. See some reactions praising the companies below:
