To remind people of the power of voting, The Times of India and The Economic Times launched the impactful ‘Ink of Democracy’ campaign, now a Gold winner at the Cannes Lions 2024 in the Print & Publishing category.  Created by Havas Creative India, the campaign used purple ink, the same shade used to mark voters’ fingers, to print entire newspaper pages. These symbolic pages represented the one-third of Indians who didn’t vote in the 2019 elections, leaving 7,500 litres of indelible ink unused.  The special pages ran in TOI’s Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata editions, and in ET’s Bengaluru edition. Each purple page stood for 132 missed voters, totaling 23 lakh pages with the message: “Don’t waste a drop of electoral ink. Don’t waste the power of democracy.”  With over 40 awards already under its belt, the campaign showed how print media can still spark real impact, especially in encouraging civic action.

Image source: The Hindu Business Line, TOI and IE; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Former Union minister and DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran has served a legal notice to his elder brother, media baron Kalanithi Maran, accusing him of forgery and fraud since 2003 that allegedly allowed the latter to unlawfully gain control over SUN TV Network Limited. This brings the long-simmering inheritance dispute within one of Tamil Nadu’s most influential political and business families to a legal confrontation. Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi are the sons of MK Murasoli Maran, nephew of DMK patriarch M Karnunanidhi. Hot Off the Press Dayanidhi has threatened to approach SFIO, Sebi, ED and other statutory organisations to initiate civil, criminal, regulatory, and enforcement proceedings against Kalanithi and his associates, including his wife Kavery Kalanithi, unless they restored the M/s Sun TV Network Limited and all related companies to their original state as on Sept 15, 2003 by reinstating the shares

Nine is consolidating its broadcast and digital streaming arms under a single division led by Amanda Laing, as part of a major internal restructure that brings together broadcast TV, 9Now, Stan, and Nine Radio. Effective July 1, the move marks the full integration of Stan into Nine’s core operations and signals a shift away from traditional labels — with terms like “television” and “TV” dropped from internal titles, Mumbrella reported. Michael Healy will step into a new role as executive director of entertainment, steering local content across all platforms, while Cailah Scobie takes charge of entertainment content acquisitions. Dan Taylor continues as executive director of Stan, and Brent Williams will lead a unified sports production team across Wide World of Sports and Stan Sport. Tom Malone and Fiona Dear remain at the helm of Nine Radio and News & Current Affairs respectively, and Hamish Turner will oversee strategy and performance for Channel 9, its multi-chan

The Hindu has been crowned the Champion Publisher of the year at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards South Asia 2025, sweeping 10 wins across categories including video, AI, podcasts, and data visualisation.  The Made of Chennai initiative won gold for Best Use of Video and Best Native Advertising Campaign. The paper also clinched top honours for Best Podcast and Best Use of AI in Revenue Strategy.  Silver wins included their retrospective data story How India Voted (1952–2024), and bronze for Best Audience Engagement, Digital Subscription, and their visual story on the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.  Receiving the award, Editor Suresh Nambath and CEO L.V. Navaneeth said the recognition reflects “collaborative effort across teams.”  “This overall champion award means a lot, it shows what’s possible when people come together,” said Navaneeth.  WAN-IFRA South Asia MD Magdoom Mohamed called the awards a recognition of “outstanding digital work” by South Asi

The Republic Kannada Sangama, a major cultural summit celebrating Karnataka’s literary, theatrical and cinematic heritage, was held on Thursday, 19 June 2025. The event opened with Sahitya Sangama, a session focused on Kannada literature, followed by Ranga Sangama, which explored developments in Kannada theatre. A key highlight was a debate on digitalisation’s impact on professional theatre, led by artist B Jayasri. Actor Kiccha Sudeep shared his views on cinema, while Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar addressed the gathering alongside other speakers including former Lokayukta Justice Santhosh Hegde, activist Chakravarthy Sulibele, Sri Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji and Sri Vishwa Prasanna Shreepadaru. Directors Dr Nagatihalli Chandrashekhar and T S Nagabharana, writer Yogi, Adamya Chetana co-founder Tejaswini Ananthkumar, and vocalist Vidushi Nandini Rao were also among the featured participants. The one-day summit brought together writers, performers, spiritual leaders and pub

  Criteo has announced a global partnership with dentsu, marking the first time its full Commerce Media Platform will be deployed by a major holding company. The collaboration aims to strengthen commerce and performance media strategies across dentsu’s client portfolio. Under the partnership, dentsu’s brands and retailers will access Criteo’s AI-driven audiences, buying tools, and measurement capabilities to enhance targeting and outcomes. Criteo’s publisher and retailer partners are expected to benefit from increased brand ad spending across owned platforms. Clive Record, President of Partnerships and Solutions at dentsu, described the move as “transformational,” citing the integration of Criteo’s product intelligence and SKU-level commerce signals. Brian Gleason, Chief Revenue Officer at Criteo, said the partnership brings together the holistic strategy required in today’s market. Dentsu will also integrate Criteo’s tools, including Commerce Max, Commerce Growt

  Secret Sauce Communications has been appointed as the PR and corporate reputation partner for Bindu Fizz Jeera Masala, as Karnataka-based SG Corporates prepares for the brand’s national rollout. The move marks a strategic expansion for the ethnic beverage, which has a strong presence in South India. Megha Shankar, Director – Strategy & Marketing at SG Corporates, said, "Bindu with its rich legacy in South India & as a proud Make in India brand, is now set to expand nationwide, introducing our much-loved Bindu Fizz Jeera Masala to a wider audience while staying true to our roots. Our focus is bridging tradition with innovation to make the brand relevant for today’s Gen Z and millennial consumers. With this partnership, we aim to create strong consumer connections and establish Bindu as one of the leading beverage brands across India." Shalini Gupta, Founder & Director of Secret Sauce, said the firm will focus on building Bindu’s market identity and visibility