Parle, Bajaj not to advertise on news channels with toxic content

Mumbai: Amid the TRP manipulation racket, brands like Parle Products and Bajaj have decided not to advertise their products on news channels that broadcast “toxic” content.

Parle’s move comes after industrialist and Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj on Thursday said that his firm had blacklisted three channels for advertising as they do not endorse “toxicity” and “hate-mongering”.

“A strong brand is a foundation on which you build a strong business. At the end of the day, the purpose of a strong business is to also contribute to the society. Our brand has never associated with anything we feel is a source of toxicity in society,” Bajaj was quoted speaking to CNBC-TV18 on Thursday.

According to a Livemint report, Parle’s senior category head Krishnarao Buddha said that the company would not want to put its money with channels that promote aggression and toxicity, and that they are exploring possibilities wherein other advertisers would come together to restrain advertising spends on news channels as a signal to all of them to change their content.

Sharing Parle’s statement on Twitter, Indian Civil Liberties Union urged other companies to follow their example.