Will advertisers pick ICC World Cup over IPL?

Riding on the ICC Cricket World Cup is a whooping Rs 1200 crore - we find out what marketers expect: Last week two out of three experts told us that if they were advertisers they would pick the IPL over the ICC Cricket World Cup. But obviously the brands that have put their money on the Cricket World Cup don't agree, and with two weeks to go for the opening, their plans are in place. Animesh Das and Nikita Rana report that Rs 1,200 crore is riding on this World Cup and consumer engagement is one of the things that marketers expect this tournament to deliver.

The ad industry looks to clean up the mess that's the Abbys - but that's easier said than done: What should have been the Indian advertising industry's most prestigious awards had become devalued by leaks, petty bickering and ugly claims and counter claims and dishonesty. We were told then that the advertising industry was very serious about clearing up the mess and restoring the shine back to the Abbys. To that end, the Ad Club of Bombay that owns the Abbys and the AAAI that hosts the Abbys have just formed - the Awards Governing Council - to set processes in place. But even as Nikita Rana finds out how this council will rescue the Abbys - news is just in - that Publicists will not participate. There's a lot cooking on TV: There is a burst of 24 hour food channels on TV. The Zee Entertainment Group set the ball rolling with the launch of Khana Khazana in December. The second channel in this space was launched last week. Food Food, it belongs to the Malaysian Group Astro and will be run by celebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor who incidentally became famous across the country with his Zee TV show Khana Khazana. And Real Global Broadcasting promoted by Miditech's Alva Brothers will launch Food First in March. Sweta Sriram reports on the market these niche channels will find. For this exclusive series by CNBC-TV18 do watch the accompanying videos.