Vidhi Choudhary
Vidhi covers business of media and entertainment, sports and pop culture for Hindustan Times.
Articles by Vidhi Choudhary
India adds 40 mn new internet users each year
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON MAY 10, 2019 02:02 PM IST
This is due to the rise of the non-English speaking internet user. Google’s latest report said that nine out of 10 new internet users in India are likely to be Indian language users.
BJP outspends Congress, others in social media advertising
By Vidhi Choudhary | New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2019 11:35 PM IST
The data shows that so far the BJP has spent Rs 25 crore in advertisements across Facebook, Instagram, Google and YouTube.
Avengers: Endgame may mirror Baahubali success
PUBLISHED ON APR 26, 2019 02:22 PM IST
In April 2017, Baahubali 2 smashed box office records to become India’s top grossing film in just six days.
Lok Sabha elections 2019: Twitter users can now report misleading tweets on polls
By Vidhi Choudhary | New Delhi
UPDATED ON APR 24, 2019 11:27 PM IST
The rules will also include misleading information about requirements for voting, including identification requirements, misleading statements or information about the official announced date or time of an election.
Netflix to stream 10 more original films in India, partners with Shah Rukh, Karan Johar
UPDATED ON APR 15, 2019 11:25 AM IST
Netflix has partnered with Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Ronnie Screwala’s RSVP for the new movies
BJP tops ad spend on Google and YouTube
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON APR 05, 2019 08:56 AM IST
The BJP spent ₹1.21 crore of the ₹3.76 crore expended by political parties on ads published on Google and YouTube between 19 February and 4 April, said the report.
To curb fake news in poll season, WhatsApp starts ‘tipline’
UPDATED ON APR 03, 2019 12:16 AM IST
WhatsApp has been at the center of controversy in India since last year after false messages spread on its platform sparked a number of mob lynchings.
Facebook deletes hundreds of accounts, pages ‘linked’ to BJP, Congress
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON APR 01, 2019 11:51 PM IST
According to Facebook, the network associated with the Congress included 549 accounts and 138 pages, which reached 206,000 followers.
Facebook apologises for identifying Kashmir as independent
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 28, 2019 12:21 AM IST
Facebook on Wednesday apologised for identifying Kashmir independent of India in a blog post while referring to geographies, where multiple networks tied to Iran engaged in coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
Exclusive: It was hard for me to become vulnerable, says Michael Phelps
By Rudraneil Sengupta & Vidhi Choudhary | HIndustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON APR 25, 2020 02:57 PM IST
Michael Phelps speaks on his preparations for the Olympics, his struggles with depression, and what he expects from the 2020 Tokyo Games
Flying Fish out of water: ‘I’d rather run than swim,’ says Michael Phelps
By Rudraneil Sengupta and Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON MAR 27, 2019 07:30 AM IST
Michael Phelps has been the rare athlete who has openly spoken about his struggle with depression and mental health, the other side of his glittering athletic career.
Social media giants to draft ethics code for polls
By Smriti Kak Ramachandran and Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON MAR 20, 2019 07:34 AM IST
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and social media intermediaries on Tuesday agreed to draft a code of ethics for the industry in the next 24 hours after being asked to do so by the Election Commission (EC).
Lok Sabha elections 2019: Politics goes TikTok in new-age campaigning
By Vidhi Choudhary | New Delhi
UPDATED ON MAR 19, 2019 04:51 PM IST
The app is TikTok, and its virtually inexhaustible library of prompts, and easy editing tools, using which people can create their own short videos, has resulted in a veritable deluge of political memes or just political videos.
Parliamentary panel asks Facebook to curb divisive posts on platforms
By Smriti Kak Ramachandran and Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON MAR 07, 2019 07:01 AM IST
The panel, citing tensions between India and Pakistan following the February 14 Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir that left at least 40 paramilitary troopers dead, is learnt to have asked Facebook to ensure there is no threat of information leakage though social media.
India’s air strike, Pak response step up heat on Twitter
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON FEB 28, 2019 01:32 AM IST
Escalating tensions between India and Pakistan dominated Twitter with 17.39 million conversations about the issue shared on February 26 and 27, according to Bengaluru-based digital marketing agency, Autumn Grey.
‘No evidence of foreign interference in India polls yet’: Twitter vice-president Colin Crowell
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON FEB 26, 2019 10:58 PM IST
Twitter vice-president Colin Crowell spoke about the meeting with the parliamentary committee, responded to allegations of a perceived political bias.
Government renews warnings to social media sites on polls
By Kumar Uttam, Smriti Kak Ramachandran and Vidhi Choudhary | New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON FEB 22, 2019 11:34 PM IST
Prasad’s comments come at a time when Twitter is fighting charges of a perceived bias against right-wing handles on the micro-blogging platform. Earlier this month, Bharatiya Janata Party supporters alleged that Twitter was biased against them.
Twitter’s public policy head Colin Crowell to attend parliamentary panel on Monday
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON FEB 22, 2019 02:35 PM IST
For India, political advertisers that fall under the Political Campaigning Policy, people will be able to see further details, including billing information, ad spend, and impressions data per tweet. Additionally, Twitter will be showing demographic targeting data for the ads being served, both intended by the advertiser and actually delivered by Twitter.
‘Willing to participate, but need more time’: Twitter on parliamentary panel hearing
By Smriti Kak Ramachandran and Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON FEB 10, 2019 07:27 AM IST
Executives from social media firm Twitter’s US headquarters will not appear before a parliamentary panel that has summoned them on Monday over perceived bias towards right-wing handles on the micro-blogging platform.
Political ideologies don’t dictate policy, product changes: Twitter
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON FEB 08, 2019 11:44 PM IST
Explaining how trending topics on Twitter work, the US-based microblogging platform said the velocity or the number of tweets in a given time period and not the total number of tweets decides what is trending.
Political advertisements on Facebook to carry disclaimers
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON FEB 08, 2019 07:46 AM IST
From 21 February only advertisers who have completed authorisations and disclosed who is responsible for an ad will be allowed to run political ads in India.
Ahead of LS polls, WhatsApp tells political parties not to spam users
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON FEB 07, 2019 02:58 PM IST
WhatsApp has been at the centre of controversy in India since last year after false messages spread on its platform sparked a number of mob lynchings.
Budget: Rise in demand may be limited to FMCG, say experts
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON FEB 02, 2019 09:18 AM IST
While these sops will put some extra money in the hands of the two classes of consumers and boost demand for items of daily use and low-cost staples, they are not expected to lift purchases of more expensive items, executives at other consumer goods companies said.
Data protection bill may get Cabinet nod next week
By Rajeev Jayaswal and Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON JAN 05, 2019 07:16 AM IST
The data protection law, once passed, will protect citizens’ personal information such as health and financial data, religious or political affiliation, caste, tribe, gender, sexual orientation and biometric information.
India on their minds
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON JAN 06, 2019 11:52 AM IST
Netflix, now three years old in India, has spent more on local content here than anywhere else in the world, except the US. That’s given us the stellar Sacred Games. But is it enough to score over other streaming services?
Ad man Piyush Pandey to become global creative chief of Ogilvy
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON DEC 05, 2018 11:20 PM IST
Piyush Pandey is the man behind the famous advertisement for Dairy Milk chocolate in which a girl breaks into a gleeful dance on the cricket pitch after a winning six is scored. That was in 1994. For him, it was just a nice story, but many interpreted it as an expression of freedom in those days.
Using US polls insights to prepare for India elections, says Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey
By Vidhi Choudhary and Samarth Bansal | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON NOV 15, 2018 08:57 AM IST
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey said they are mainly learning from what happened in the 2016 US elections, the Mexico elections and the 2018 midterm elections. They have also built models to identify where people are trying to game the system.
What drives fake news in India? Here’s what a BBC study found out
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi, New Delhi
UPDATED ON NOV 12, 2018 08:23 AM IST
Since May this year, at least 30 people have been killed in India in mob violence over rumours circulating on messaging service WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
Brazil’s experience a red flag for WhatsApp in Indian polls, say experts
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON OCT 21, 2018 07:15 AM IST
Data shows that the share of active WhatsApp users in rural India has doubled since 2017, according to a survey by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
Rural Indians don’t trust messages on WhatsApp blindly: Survey
By Vidhi Choudhary | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON OCT 19, 2018 01:43 PM IST
Only 8% of the respondents marked 10 as their trust score on a scale of 1-10, where 1 stands for complete distrust and 10 for complete trust, in information received on WhatsApp, found a survey.