iDream Media’s Official Response to Allegations Made by a Couple of its Ex Employees Regarding Misleading Thumbnails

iDream Media’s Official Response to Allegations Made by a Couple of its Ex Employees Regarding Misleading Thumbnails

 

What Is This About?

 

Recently, former iDream anchors S___ & P___ made public allegations against iDream Media on social media platforms. Their core claim is that iDream routinely uses misleading thumbnails, and that efforts by S___ to address this internally were ignored—leading to her resignation.

 

This note is a response to their allegations.

 

Summary:

 

• Allegations Denied: iDream Media firmly denies the public accusations made by former iDream anchors S___ & P___.

• Clarifying the Anchor’s Exit: The company states that the anchor S___ was getting ₹4 lakhs per month at iDream and her departure from the company was not due to editorial disagreements but due to her declining commitment, and professional conduct issues—despite being one of the highest-paid in Telugu digital media.

• Private Outreach Ignored: iDream attempted to resolve the matter respectfully (to convince them to retract their allegations) via private WhatsApp messages to both S___ & P___, but neither responded even after more than six weeks.

• Anchors Responsibilities: iDream clarifies that anchors have a direct and critical role in shaping video thumbnails. It has always been standard practice for them to collaborate with SEO teams, and there is documented proof of S___ & P___ participating in this process at iDream. They cannot detach themselves from outcomes, when they are integral to the process.

• iDream highlights the irony in S___ & P___ portraying themselves as champions of digital ethics while associating currently with another digital media company ****—a platform that has shown no higher editorial standards. This shows their disingenuous and duplicitous nature.

 

iDream Media: Pioneering Telugu Digital Content for Over a Decade.

 

iDream Media has been at the forefront of creating original Telugu digital content for over 10 years. As one of the first movers in this space, we take immense pride in re-defining the digital narrative—most notably by introducing the long form interview format to Indian Digital Media. Along the way, we have produced some truly outstanding work. A few highlights from our journey:

 

• Vishwanathamrutham by Parthasaradhi: A heartfelt tribute to Kalathapaswi K. Viswanath Garu’s cinematic legacy, featuring legendary guests like Chiranjeevi Garu, Venkatesh Garu, Trivikram Garu, and many more. Here is a link.

  • Watch the Viswanathamrutham Series

 

• Frankly with TNR: One of the earliest and most beloved interview shows in Telugu digital media, setting the tone for candid conversations.

  • Watch Frankly with TNR

 

• Army Officers Series by Col. Nikhil: A rare and powerful series hosted by a retired army colonel who has served in Jammu & Kashmir, featuring many decorated officers across ranks — brigadiers, Colonels, regiment officers etc.

  • Watch Conversations with Colonel

 

• Crime Diaries with Muralidhar: A groundbreaking series with over 500 interviews of IPS, IAS and IFS officers—recognized by the Indian book of records.

  • Watch Crime Diaries with Muralidhar

 

• IAS Officers Interview Series: iDream has featured more IAS officers from across India than any other Indian media.

  • Watch IAS Officers Interview Series

 

• Akshara Yatra with Prof. Mrunalini Garu: A literary celebration spotlighting Telugu literary greats like Olga, Indraganti, and many more.

  • Watch Akshara Yatra Interview Series

 

• Sirivennela Gari’s Tribute Series: Intimate conversations with distinguished guests that honor the legendary lyricist’s life, work, and philosophy.

  • Watch Sirivennela Gari’s Tribute Series

 

 

Over the years, we have built a digital library that spans thousands of voices from film icons and literary stalwarts to military heroes, civil servants, and change makers. The trust these individuals place in us to tell their stories is a testament to iDream Media’s integrity, consistency, and creative vision. We must have done something right to gain their trust.

And we’re just getting started.

 

Why Are We Responding Publicly?

 

• Although their allegations were made in public (through their social media accounts and public WhatsApp groups), we initially tried to resolve the matter in private—reaching out respectfully through WhatsApp messages (on Mar 29th to S___ and on Apr 4th to P___).

• We received no response or retraction from either of them even after more than six weeks.

• We also heard from a few people that their off-line misleading campaign against iDream is still ongoing.

• With their social media posts still active and unanswered, we are left with no choice but to publicly clarify our position – which is completely ethical and legal – we checked.

 

Clarifying the Main Allegation

 

The claim that anchor S___ left iDream Media due to disagreements over thumbnails is simply not true.

Here is some background on the anchor S___’s employment at iDream, and the Real Reason for her departure:

 

• Anchor S’s compensation at iDream was ₹4 lakhs per month—one of the highest in Telugu digital media space, from November 2023 to February 2025 (16 months). In addition to this, 2+ Laks were paid to her for doing a few commericial interviews.

• This was her 4^th engagement in the last decade with iDream Media, and it was on a full-time basis. Any claims that it was a consultant role, are simply wrong. Ask yourself if any Telugu digital media company pays someone ₹4 lakhs per month for 2 hours/day consulting job?

• Initially, at iDream, she managed her own guest arrangements, traveled for interviews to places like Vizag, Chennai and other places in the 2 Telugu states, worked with SEOs on video thumbnails—all of which were part of her responsibilities. Another responsibility was to work with all the anchors and improve the overall content creation at iDream. She was literally the Content head at the company, and hence the compensation of ₹4 lakhs per month.

• A few weeks into her tenure, she informed the company of her part-time commitment (“just 1 or 2 interviews per week”, was her quote) to a television channel. She assured us that this would not interfere with her work at iDream, and we agreed.

• However, over time, her presence and performance at iDream gradually declined. The quality and regularity of her guests and the interviews suffered.To fix this and to support her, we assigned a dedicated program producer as well.

• Then, her office hours at iDream started reducing significantly—first she reduced her full workdays to half days.

• Couple of months later, she reduced that to 3 hours a day and eventually settled at just 2 hours a day at iDream.

• By that time, we learned that she had taken on a senior role as “Digital head” at this other television channel — a position that not only affected her ability to contribute to iDream but also presented a clear conflict of interest.

• She did not stop there. She started putting pressure on the Program Producer, not to schedule any interviews outside the iDream Studio.

• And the final straw was when she abruptly left the office because a guest was stranded in traffic and got delayed by a few minutes, leaving the team and guest in an awkward situation. She even scolded the program producer and the Camera Team for being very unprofessional and for wasting her time.

• Following that, we thought we had enough and stepped in and formally requested her that she maintain a minimum presence of 4 hours a day at the office regularly, which was reasonable given her compensation of ₹4 lakhs per month. And accordingly, we tried to enforce that.

• Shortly after, she resigned, and we accepted her resignation on the same day. And we sent her the below message “Hi S___, No hard feelings, pls. It just was not working out. It has been 12 years since the company was started. And I just could not go on like this. Hence the decision to…….” and it continued like that. (We’ve proofs of all these messages.)

• As you can see, her departure was not due to any disagreement about editorial practices—it was due to her declining commitment and an inability to meet reasonable expectations set by the company.  

• It has been suggested that the anchor S___ never intended to resign from iDream but expected the company to persuade her to stay — but the company called her bluff and accepted her resignation. The fact that she attended interviews with three different companies — Social post, BRK, and SumanTV, after her resignation was accepted at iDream, supports this view. Perhaps this turn of events led to her aggressive stance against iDream.

 

Private Attempts to Resolve

 

We sent WhatsApp messages to both S___ & P___ shortly after their first allegations.

It has been six weeks since we sent those messages, and till now, we have not received any responses from either of them.

 

Below are the key messages sent:

 

• Message sent to anchor S on 29th Mar 2025:

Hi S____,

 Hope you are doing well.

 I wanted to share that I have been deeply hurt by the developments over the past week.

 “Gayathri Bhargavi had a genuine complaint. I truly empathized with her pain and anguish, and I personally reached out to apologize sincerely. I also issued a public apology.This message is not about her—what she did was completely valid, and I fully understand her hurt.”

 At that time, I felt you were unnecessarily dragged into the issue, and I immediately messaged you saying, “Very sorry S____, for dragging you into this mess.” I was a little surprised not to receive any response, especially considering our long-standing association over the years.

 A bit later, I came across a video that someone forwarded to me—your video—where you not only blamed iDream but also brought up Sunitha’s episode from long ago, as well as Prema’s concerns about her video thumbnails (which, by the way, were never brought to my attention). I was genuinely shocked, both by the video and by the tone you used.

 As you have done before, you could have simply called or messaged me, and I would have acted on it right away. You know I have never let any such videos remain live once someone voices a concern. That has always been the way we have operated. You know it, and everyone who has ever worked with iDream knows it too.

 There may have been mistakes. But, I intentionally, would never encourage these types of thumbnails at iDream. NEVER.

———

 I honestly do not know what I did to deserve this kind of vicious and deliberate campaign by you and P____. One person made me listen to their recording of your phone call. And I also saw Prema’s messages in a what’s app group chat with other journalists in it, where she went out of her way to blame iDream.

 What was said to you about me that made you feel this was necessary? Even if something was said, I wish you had not believed it—because you have known me for so many years.

 You know how many times you reached out to me in difficult situations, and how I always tried to help, with complete sincerity. 

• When you were going through a tough time in the U.S. and called me, I offered you the CEO position at iDream (with 3 Laks/month salary – your 3^rd innings at iDream). 

• When you had issues with a couple of other senior anchors at iDream, I stood by you—even though they had been with the company for years. Which lead to their departure from the company. 

• Later, when you wanted to visit your husband, I booked a business class ticket for you on Emirates (making sure it was an A380 double-decker flight), spending nearly $6000—and gave you one month of paid leave (when your salary was 3 lakhs/month). 

• When there was negative online chatter around your wedding, I personally took time to have articles and videos taken down from multiple platforms. 

• I also invited and booked flight tickets for you, Prema, and SiraSri from Hyderabad to Seattle, USA, arranged for you to attend the Ilaiyaraaja concert, and even ensured you met him in person.

 I did not do all of these expecting anything from you. I did them to make my friend feel good and be happy. But what I did not expect is this kind of willful and vicious campaign against me. I’m really shocked.

 I still have all your messages thanking me profusely—one of which, just a few months ago, said:

 “Vasu garu, you are the best. You can quote me on this, I owe you for life.”

 So, I really do not understand what happened to the S___ I once knew.

 Letting you go from iDream recently was not personal. It was a professional decision, and I clearly mentioned that in the message I sent you afterwards.

 I always believed that if I were ever in a crisis, you would be there for me—because that is the kind of trust I had in our relationship, despite a few people cautioning me otherwise.

 I have never seen this side of you in the past 10+ years. A few people even called me to say that both you and Prema reached out to them, pressuring them. Why this orchestrated, deliberate campaign?

 Both of you have positioned yourselves as crusaders against misleading thumbnails in Telugu digital media. Yet, you have chosen to associate with  YOUR CURRENT COMPANY—a platform that, by no reasonable standard, can be considered better than iDream Media in this regard. Anyone viewing this objectively would find the contradiction hard to ignore.

 A few months from now, when things have settled, I truly hope you reflect on this entire episode. I do not believe you will feel good about what happened—because this does not seem like the real S___ I have always known.

 And I genuinely hope that day comes soon.

 PS 1: This is not a complaint letter. It is simply me expressing my pain and disappointment to someone I thought I knew well for over a decade. You have joined and left iDream four times—and not once did we part with animosity. Why now? I do not have an answer—except maybe that P___ influenced you in this direction.

 

PS 2: I honestly do not understand why P____ holds so much hostility toward me. She started her digital media career with iDream 8 years ago. I even congratulated her just last September on that anniversary, and we had a warm conversation. I don’t know what changed after that.

 

PS 3: In the end, I hope you realize that this entire campaign also impacted your own image. It was poorly conceived and clearly ill-intentioned. If someone advised you to do this, I hope you recognize it and distance yourself from such negative influences.

 

PS 4: Ironically, P____ seems to be the only person who walked away from this campaign without any pushback. She has hurt both me and, perhaps unintentionally, you—and yet remains untouched by the fallout. I truly do not understand what she gains from all this.

 

PS 5: I know you are a spiritual person and have faith in God. If I have truly done anything wrong—anything that justifies the way you and P___ have portrayed me in this recent episode—then I sincerely pray that God holds me accountable.

• Messages sent to ex Anchor P___::

• First message on 24th Mar 2025 after her what’s app posts blaming us:

• And here is the second message sent to her on 4th April 2025:

Hi P___,

 I recently came across S___’s comments in her public FB video, where she mentioned that you had expressed concerns about the thumbnails used for your interview videos on iDream.

 Until her remarks, I had not been made aware of any such concerns—neither directly by you nor by anyone else. That said, I have already asked the team to review all relevant videos to ensure nothing inappropriate or misleading is being used. So far, they have not identified anything problematic.

 I also want to clarify that if the concern is about the re-publishing of older interviews, please rest assured that this falls within our rights, as all such content is owned by iDream.

 However, if there are any specific thumbnails—or anything else at all—that you feel is inappropriate or misrepresents you, I would truly appreciate it if you could point them out. I will make sure they are addressed right away.

 We have experienced rapid growth as a company, and while we have done our best to maintain standards, there may have been unintentional oversights. I want to assure you that it is never our intent to cause any discomfort or harm to anyone we work with. We take feedback seriously and are committed to resolving issues as soon as they come to our attention.

 You have my word on that.

 Warm regards,

V___

———

As mentioned earlier, it has been more than six weeks since our last attempt to communicate with both S___ & P___, and to date, we have received no responses from either of them.

 

 

Additional Clarification: On the Role of Anchors in Thumbnail Decisions

 

• Another claim made by S___—that “anchors have no role in managing the thumbnail texts”—is completely inaccurate.

• In fact, anchors play a critical role in this area. At iDream, it has always been standard practice for anchors to collaborate closely with our SEO teams to decide proper thumbnails and titles. This collaboration ensures that content is accurately represented and that the creative intent is preserved.

• This is not just policy; it is necessary due to the high volume of video content published daily and the way and speed at which digital media operates.

• Digital media is a constantly evolving space. Unlike traditional broadcast journalism, there are no formal training institutions or industry-wide standards. As such, given the scale of these digital operations, companies, anchors, guests, and audiences must collectively adapt and shape best practices in real time.

• Anchors should take an active lead in managing and curating thumbnails. Since they are the face of the interview alongside the guest, a poor thumbnail impacts their image just as much as the guest’s.Anchors are often the first (and sometimes the only) point of contact for interview guests, especially in digital-first formats where program producers are uncommon. They must take responsibility for guiding their SEO teams.

• Anchors should stay in constant touch with SEO teams-through a WhatsApp group or another channel-and immediately suggest thumbnail options after the interview shoot, as they are best positioned to judge the essence of an interview and highlight its strengths and frame thumbnails accurately.

• With minimal coordination and training the SEOs, this becomes a simple, smooth, and efficient workflow.

• It has always been the case at iDream. In fact, anchor S___ herself regularly shared thumbnail suggestions via WhatsApp groups to our SEO teams during her tenure—proof of her active involvement. To now claim zero responsibility is disingenuous.

• We have proofs of thumbnail texts suggested by S___ (and Prema and TNR and other anchors at iDream) through company’s WhatsApp groups to our SEOs (thank God, WhatsApp did not have disappearing messages feature in those earlier days).

• Avoiding this responsibility by anchors leads to inferior quality control. They cannot detach themselves from outcomes when they are integral to the process.

• And obviously, when someone (in this case, S___) is spending barely two hours a day at the office, they inevitably miss these essential workflows and quality checks. And that is when they conveniently try to push the blame on to others.

 

 

Why the Delay in Responding?

 

• At the time these allegations surfaced, we were already addressing a separate and sensitive concern raised by Gayatri Bhargavi. Our priority was to engage with her respectfully, without clouding the conversation with unrelated matters. We are thankful that Gayatri Garu acknowledged our apology about the thumbnail issue and expressed openness to a continued positive relationship with iDream Media.

• We also chose to wait, in the hope that S___ & P___ would respond to our private WhatsApp messages and engage constructively and retract their statements. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

• As you can see from how we have chosen to address this issue, we believe in gathering all the facts first—fix mistakes on our side if there are any and then respond with clarity in a constructive way. This applies to any past and future allegations/complaints against iDream or the management, we receive.

• In the meantime, a few may enjoy their moment in the spotlight and feel triumphant. We are okay with that. We are in this for the long run. As they say, reputation is not built overnight. But, let there be no confusion—our courtesy/niceness should not be mistaken for our weakness.

 

 

Our Ex Anchors S___ and P___’s Double Standards:

 

• Throughout this episode, both S___ & P___ have portrayed themselves as champions of ethical practices in digital media—particularly about thumbnails.

• Ironically, they are now associated with a digital media platform that, by most reasonable standards, has not shown a higher editorial benchmark in this regard, both in terms of their content and the thumbnails.

• The inconsistency between their stated principles and current affiliations shows their duplicitous nature and is difficult to ignore.

 

 

Final Notes:

 

• At iDream Media, we strive to ensure thumbnail mistakes are avoided entirely. However, as digital media continues to evolve, occasional and unintentional errorsmay occur. If you ever notice an issue—particularly with the thumbnail of your interview video—please share the video link and your contact details by emailing us at info@iDreamMedia.com. We will take immediate action to remove the video and address your concerns to your full satisfaction.

• We want to clearly state that this response is solely intended to address and clarify the specific allegations made against iDream Media. Our goal is only to set the record straight with facts and context.

• We are also investigating an internal rumor that the misleading thumbnail video featuring Ms. Gayathri Bhargavi —which had been made private months ago—was intentionally released again with ulterior motives. It appears that someone from outside the company may have contacted our SEO person just days before this controversy erupted, falsely claiming that the guest had approved its re-release. The timing and circumstances are highly suspicious.

• Our sincere request to media colleagues and individuals helming various responsible organizations/bodies: Please be cautious of individuals who operate with negative intentions. They often manipulate others by playing the victim card. If you’re not vigilant, you, your organization/company, and the many people who depend on it could end up paying a heavy price. Please stay alert.

• We possess all the necessary evidence supporting the contents of this letter. If anyone wishes to dispute this further and create additional disruptions, we will have no optionbut to approach it legally and with the legal guidance release all related material, including the audio recordings, into the public domain.

• At iDream Media, we welcome honest feedback and remain committed to continuous improvement. However, we also have a responsibility to protect the integrity of our work and defend our team against baseless and misleading accusations.

Thank you,

Team iDream Media

17th May 2025