MAM
INCableNet ties up with MTV, VJ Cyrus Broacha for promoting CAS
MUMBAI: Multi-system operators (MSOs) have been working overtime (or should we say overnight) as the 10-day grace period given to Mumbai’s cable operators (by the I&B ministry) towards the implementation of the conditional access system (CAS) comes to an end on 10 September.
Hinduja-owned INCableNet, for one, has visibly stepped up sales and direct marketing activities during the last fortnight or so.
According to an official press note, INDigital has roped in free-to-air music channel MTV VJ Cyrus Broacha to talk about CAS on a 24-hour cable channel called CAS INfo. The on-air promotion was conceived by the INDigital and MTV teams as a means of educating viewers on CAS. The film, which has been produced and directed by MTV, educates viewers on CAS; its benefits; gives details of the features of the Set Top Box (STB); rates and schemes for box purchase; contact numbers so on and so forth.
The note says that “INDigital’s film promos currently running on MTV are witty, smart and catchy. MTV’s inimitable Cyrus Brocha doesn’t disappoint and anchors the promo with ease bringing to it spontaneity, freshness and wit as only he can.”
In addition, INCableNet has also been conducting road shows and informative programmes at various societies around Mumbai. This, says the note, is an effort to educate residents on CAS; the potential benefits of STBs; and the transparency that the CAS system will be able to bring in.
INDIgital’s sales and marketing teams have been actively involved in these activities. In fact, on the weekend of 31 August, several senior INCableNet executives literally ‘took to the streets of south Mumbai’ and participated in the direct marketing activities.
The INCableNet note claims that the response received has been very positive and encouraging with a huge database of prospective STB buyers.
Well, the Shiv Sena – the political party that has been opposing the implementation of CAS tooth and nail – certainly wouldn’t agree with this claim.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
