On strategy for TV channels to beat the impact of the slowdown:

• If the business model is sound, then stay your course without knee-jerk reactions

Shake-out ahead: Rajesh Kamat, chief executive officer, Colors. Madhu Kapparath/Mint

• The golden rule to remember is that cash is king

• The need of the hour is to sharpen our value proposition

• Make that marketing dollar fly

• No time like now to invest in brand and market share

• It is most important to keep in mind that our decisions now will decide where our brand will be when we come out of the slowdown. So don’t break down the growth engines of your company for short-term gains.

On forecasts for 2009:

While 2008 saw enough new entrants, 2009 will not see the same. In fact, I would say watch out for some consolidation or a shake-out. Digitization will be on the upswing and clearly something to watch out for, with more than five serious players in the fray.

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On trends in advertising spending:

While the total advertising pie may see single-digit growth, FMCG, as a category, looks like it will manage to hold ground. Telecom and DTH players will up their share of spends.

Another interesting trend will see the advertiser focus move from a 30-second spot to product placement and advertiser-funded shows.

priyanka.m@livemint.com