MAM
DirecTV, Twentieth Television expand ad sales deal
MUMBAI: US pay TV platform DirecTV and Twentieth Television, DirecTV’s ad sales partner, announced the expansion of their current ad sales agreement.
This will include DirecTV’s Spanish and English language programming platform DirecTV Para Todos from next year. Under the arrangement, Twentieth Television will be responsible for overseeing all general market and direct response ad sales for select channels available on DirecTV Para Todos.
DirecTV’s Para Todos provides access to more than 55 Spanish-language and 220 English-language channels, all in digital quality, featuring a variety of sports, news, entertainment and family programming. Currently, DirecTV Para Todos is available in more than 850,000 homes throughout the US.
DirecTV Entertainment executive VP d Eric Shanks says, “The customer base for the DirecTV Para Todos Spanish-language platform has more than tripled in the past 18 months. Our current partnership with
Twentieth Television has been extremely successful and we look forward to Twentieth helping us to reach this growing and increasingly more affluent demographic.”
Twentieth Television executive VP advertising Bob Cesa said, “It has been a pleasure to work with and to represent DirecTV to the advertising community. We are proud that our success has resulted in growing the relationship to include DirecTV Para Todos. The Latino community is the fastest growing market in the country with immense buying power. We are now uniquely positioned to empower advertisers with a direct link to this highly attractive demographic.”
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â 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.
