Indirect Gain

Indirect Gain

1990 9 September 16 Indirect Gain (332) The World Cup football matches, held in Italy in June 1990, were telecast in India by Doordarshan. According to an advance estimate of the cost, the coverage was going to mean an expenditure of about Rs. 1 crore for Doordarshan. (The Times of India, June 16, 1990).

Ostensibly, this was going to be a very one-sided bargain, with Doordarshan doing all the spending and receiving nothing in return. But the estimate did not tell the whole story, for Doordarshan finally made a profit of Rs. 2 crores out of their coverage – a highly profitable venture!

By investing Rs. 1 crore, Doordarshan earned Rs. 3 crores. The gain, however, was indirect. How, in such an undertaking, did Doordarshan manage to make such a profit, when there could be no direct gain from the viewers? The answer is through advertisements. Whenever a programme of general interest is being telecast, advertisements, paid for by various companies, are flashed on the screen from time to time, generally for the duration of a few seconds each. These advertisements are charged for at very high rates, and are one of the greatest sources of income for Indian television.

The average individual is generally aware only of such benefits as can be directly accrued, and hardly ever comes to know of methods of indirect gain. Such a superficial grasp of affairs can never bring any great success in life. The really wise person is always on the look-out for indirect ways of making a profit, because that is so often more rewarding than direct earning. Some undertaking, to all appearances, are actually no-profit ventures, because there is no obvious, direct advantage in them. Yet indirect yield is frequently far greater than that of a venture which offers direct gain.

This is a very useful formula in life, and those who know its secret will be the ones to achieve the greatest success. Having an eye only for direct gain will never carry one to any great pinnacle of success.