INX Media, HUL ink 3-year advertisement dealBS Reporter / Mumbai December 06, 2007INX Media, the company set up by Indrani Mukherjea, has successfully roped in Hindustan Unilever (HUL), the biggest advertiser in the country, to sign a three-year advertising deal with 9X, the Hindi general entertainment channel from the company's stable.HUL will be one of the prominent advertisers on the channel along with the other three Club INX Platinum Members viz.Reliance Industries, Future Group and Vodafone. Each of these advertisers are believed to be paying Rs 35-40 crore for a three-year contract.Probal Gaanguly, group director [Revenue Management (Advertising Sales & New Media)], INX Media said: "We are really pleased to announce that Hindustan Unilever, the biggest and one of the most demanding clients in India, has inked a long term commitment with us. This deal not only confirms that we are on the right track of understanding our partners and giving them the best innovative solutions, but it also gives us the confidence that we have the right approach for our sales mission."Platinum Club INX advertisers will get more mileage when compared with gold advertisers and silver advertisers. Gold advertisers will be on board for two years, while silver advertisers will have a one-year deal.Rahul Welde, GM (Media Services), Hindustan Unilever, said: "We are very excited at the opportunity that 9X presents in the Hindi general entertainment space. Their plan and the package looks impressive, and we look forward to a strong association with the INX Network in years to come."Sources added that INX Media may rope in an online partner and a major real estate player as a platinum member. ICICI Bank and FMCG company Hindustan Unilever are believed to be in talks as well. Going forward, the same format will be adopted for the music channel 9XM and upcoming news channel NewsX.It is for the first time that a television broadcaster has struck long-term advertising deals for a new channel. As of now, advertisers sign only annual deals with channels. In the past, Aaj Tak was the only channel that roped in two advertisers
