MAM
Pubcaster to discuss possible legal action against TAM
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati, which has the largest reach terrestrially through local cable operators and around 20 per cent of the market through various DTH platforms, is also piqued by the way TAM has been side-stepping Doordarshan in the television ratings.
Encouragd by NDTV‘s lawsuit, Prasar Bharati is exploring legal options against TAM. Prasar Bharati chief executive officer Jawahar Sircar told indiantelevision.com that it was astonishing that TAM had never attempted to give importance to capturing DD‘s viewership with greater details despite it being the largest broadcaster and the fact that every platform has to mandatorily show its channels.
Sircar said that the pubcaster was also considering taking legal action against TAM and the action in this regard will be finalised in the meeting of the Prasar Bharati Board on 6 August afternoon.
The pubcaster was also in discussions with its legal counsel and their view would be placed before the Board, he added.
The issue has been raised regularly by the pubcaster with both the Ministry and the Parliamentary Standing Committee. In fact, with TAM covering a very small number of cities and towns, 62 million of 112 million TV homes were outside the ambit of television audience measurement ratings as they were in rural areas.
The action by Prasar Bharati comes close on the heels of the case filed by NDTV in a New York court against The Nielsen Co, a global research and information firm, and Kantar Media Research, the owners of TAM Media in this regard.
Doordarshan with a reach of 92 per cent in the country through 1415 transmitters has a terrestrial reach to around 25 million viewers, apart from those getting the feed through the DTH and other platforms. In fact, Sircar claimed that DD Direct Plus is reaching out to another ten million viewers, thus taking the direct reach to 35 million.
It has 37 channels including DD Bharati and DD National besides four allied channels like Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV.
The commercial revenue have been adversely affected because of being totally ignored by TAM which only wants to cater to private channels.
Doordarshan earned just Rs 7.94 billion – a little over half the projection of Rs 12 billion – during 2011-12 through commercial means.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
