Editor’s Note: The Buck Never Stops…

In business, it’s no secret that favours are a currency of their own, especially in the media world.

Asking for a discount or a “special deal” has become the norm, as if it’s an inherent right before any transaction.

The mentality is clear: “I bought an ad from you, so you owe me one. Or two.”

What’s even more absurd is that sometimes the favour being asked outweighs the original investment.

Media platforms, which need millions to survive, find themselves constantly in debt— not financial debt, but an endless stream of non-stop favours owed to advertisers.

For top-tier platforms, it’s a losing game.

Sure, some might argue that these requests are small, but in reality, everything adds up.

A free spot here, an extra promotion there—all of it chips away at the price of the original transaction.

So, it raises a very real question: why bother becoming a media owner, pouring millions into building teams and infrastructure, when the real winners are the middle agents, profiting with zero risk?

And here’s the kicker—when do these favours end?

The truth is, they never do. The buck never stops.

It’s a never-ending cycle of obligations that can sap the value out of even the strongest media platforms. The favours become the expectation, and the profits?

They’re handed off to someone else.

HARMANDAR SINGH