MAM
Essel Group launches PlayTV; marketing blitz to follow
MUMBAI: Essel Group’s 24-hour interactive and gaming channel PlayTV, managed by Dakshin Media Solutions, is now on air. The channel, which was soft-launched on 1 April, has become a fully functioning channel since 18 April.
Channel concept: Your phone is the new remote
Along with music programmes, PlayTV provides gaming news, contests, bidding and shopping. The channel runs on real time basis through SMS, emails and chats.
Essel Group is scheduled to formally announce the channel’s launch in two weeks time. The group’s director Amit Goenka, who is heading PlayTV, has told indiantelevision.com that the announcement would be followed by elaborate promotional and distribution campaigns.
“We chose this strategy because we wanted to know if any last minute changes were required prior to the announcement. And also, we felt this would help us to drive our distribution plans,” explains Goenka.
PlayTV has simultaneously launched on cable and Essel Group’s DTH offering Dish TV. In Dish TV, the channel is part of the Welcome bouquet which is priced at Rs 156 per month.
Goenka says the free-to-air channel is available across the country on Siti Cable. Efforts to get the channel in other networks are currently on, he adds.
“In Mumbai, more or less all the cable operators are carrying the channel now. Presently, we are focusing on the national distribution front, trying to get the channel onto other networks as well,” says Goenka.
Essel has launched PlayTV with an eye to cashing in on India’s growing gaming industry. Globally, gaming as an industry is a $30 billion business. At the time of the launch announcement recently, Goenka had said that in Asia, PlayTV is a new concept, while globally gaming, with a dash of entertainment and lifestyle, is a huge market.
PlayTV is supported by state of the art technology from Cellcast, a UK based company, which will help to set up TV SMS technology and also undertake training and developing of manpower in India.
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.
