| According to a senior official in the I&B ministry,
the ban, effective from 1 May, has been put into effect through a
notification issued by the health ministry, which has not communicated
anything till now to the I&B ministry on its monitoring aspects.
"It has been brought to our notice off and on
that surrogate advertising relating to tobacco products continue
on various TV channels, but we have not been told to set up a monitoring
mechanism, " the official told indiantelevision.com
The tobacco industry, which contributes approximately
Rs 70 billion to the government by way of excise, will be forced
to cut down Rs 2,500 million of their advertising budget with the
ban. According to industry sources, the ban is going to take a heavy
toll on tobacco companies, outdoor ad agencies, hoarding suppliers,
charity organizations that rely very much on the tobacco companies'
sponsorships, etc.
For example, the much-touted Filmfare Award has Manikchand
as the presenting sponsor, a company that is a big player in the
flavoured chewing tobacco products category, apart from having business
interests in other sectors like real estate. Similarly, Red &
White cigarette brand also backs an annual bravery award event
where achievers from normal life are feted.
Quizzed on the monitoring aspect of the tobacco
ban, a health ministry official explained that there were early
days of the ban and over a period of time the effort would be to
put in place a monitoring mechanism.
Even the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), an
apex body of broadcasting companies operating in India, is clueless
on the issue, though it has a sub-committee that screens surrogate
liquor advertisements.
A source in the IBF, when asked about the ban, evasively
said, "The issue has not (NOT) been brought to the Foundation
yet. But if told by the I&B ministry the members may discuss
the matter."
It seems that the media is waiting for the I&B
ministry to show the path ahead, while the ministry itself is unsure
about the whole issue.
But experts say that the media does stand to loose
revenue with this ban. According to Starcom Worldwide India (west/south)
managing director Ravi Kiran, print would lose approximately Rs
1,000 million, while TV will see Rs 350 million evaporating. A Rs
100 million loss is estimated for cinema, while for outdoor hoarding
it could be Rs 600 million. Internet, radio and sports, however,
would suffer only negligible loses with the ban, he says.
|
