MAM
Abhishek Bhattacharya joins JioStar as senior director and national agency head
MUMBAI: Abhishek Bhattacharya has raced into JioStar as senior director and national head of agency partnerships for the entertainment business, charged with tightening the company’s grip on India’s sprawling media market.
With two decades spent navigating India’s advertising maze, Bhattacharya brings a playbook honed across screens, sports and experiential formats. He has led Rs 100-crore campaigns on Star Sports and previously contributed more than Rs 500 crore annually to network revenues. At JioStar, he is expected to fuse linear TV muscle with digital acceleration to give brands a sharper, full-stack media route.
Bhattacharya joined JioStar earlier this year to lead agency partnerships across Omnicom Media Group, IPG Mediabrands, Dentsu and DDB Mudra, before stepping into the national role. His remit now spans relationship strategy, revenue growth and building integrated solutions across linear TV, connected TV and mobile.
Before JioStar, Bhattacharya spent seven years at Disney Star, rising through the sports vertical and stitching together high-impact associations for brands such as Cadbury, Boost, Tata Neu, Audi and Parle. He also held roles at ITW Consulting, Bloomberg TV India, Bennett Coleman, ABP Group, HT Media and Ushakiron Movies.
A career stitched together by sport, screens and storytelling is now primed for its next sprint. JioStar’s partnership engine will be running hotter.
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.
