Brands
India-Sri Lanka test series net a bagful of ground & instadia sponsors
MUMBAI: The folks at India-based sports management firm ITW Consulting are sporting broad smiles on their faces. The reason: a clutch of brands has signed up as on-ground sponsors for the upcoming India vs Sri Lanka test series starting 26 July in the Emerald isle.
Among the brands which have come on board include: Seagrams Royal Stag Cricket Gear and Servo Lubricants as the title and powered by on-ground partner. The other key partners are Hero MotoCorp (HERO), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Kent RO Systems (KENT), Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, MDH Limited, Syska and Byju’s Learning App.
“The response to this series from brands has been very positive given the unique mix of technology and innovation we are offering to elevate the brand association,“ says ITW Consulting Co-Founder Bhairav Shanth. “We will shortly announce the title partner for the ODI and T20 series.”
Adds ITW Consulting director M.S. Muralidharan: “At ITW, we have ensured that we bring in some latest and most innovative in-stadia technologies in cricket and other sports to ensure fans are engaged throughout the match with a crowd facing interactive display system.”
Cricket fans attending the matches during the tour will get to see the world’s largest high definition sight screen along with 100 per cent LED HD quality systems, and crowd facing LEDs allowing for fan engagement not experienced before.
The highlight of the ODI series is that the player of the series wins an Eicher Polaris Multix MS – BS IV vehicle.
Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India president distribution and sports business Rajesh Kaul highlights, “We have on-board some big brands as our advertisers. We aim to make the broadcast experience on the India Tour of Sri Lanka Test Series 2017 a memorable one.”
The 45-day long cricket extravaganza will reach a wide Indian, Sri Lankan and global audience cheering for the powerhouses and superstars of the likes of Angelo Mathews, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga as well as their Indian counterparts like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ravi Ashwin amongst others. The series will be telecast by the official live broadcasting partner, SPN India on SONY SIX and SONY TEN 3 channels and will be livestreamed on SonyLIV. Scheduled to reach prime time audiences in India and Sri Lanka, the match preview, pitch report and toss will commence 30 minutes prior, followed by the match at 10:00 am IST for Tests, 2:30 pm IST for ODI’s and 7:00 pm IST for the T20.
ITW Consulting recently announced the acquisition of certain exclusive rights from SPN India the sole and exclusive media rights holder of the series. The deal with SPN involves title rights, on-ground and in-stadia advertising rights for all the cricket matches to be played during the series.
Brands
Domino’s Q1 profit falls 6.6 per cent, announces $1 billion buyback
Sales rise 3.4 per cent as pizza giant balances growth and shareholder returns
NEW YORK: Domino’s reported a mixed start to 2026, with first-quarter net income slipping even as global sales and store expansion held steady. The company also announced a fresh $1 billion share buyback, underlining its continued focus on shareholder returns.
Global retail sales rose 3.4 per cent on a constant-currency basis to $4.74 billion. The US remained a key growth engine, with same-store sales inching up 0.9 per cent, supported by a 1.5 per cent rise at company-owned outlets.
International markets, however, painted a more uneven picture. While Domino’s added 161 net new stores overseas during the quarter, international same-store sales declined 0.4 per cent. Overall revenues still climbed 3.5 per cent to $1.15 billion, driven by higher supply chain revenues and a 2.6 per cent increase in food basket pricing for franchisees.
On the profitability front, net income fell 6.6 per cent to $139.8 million, compared to $149.7 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share dropped to $4.13 from $4.33. The decline was largely attributed to a $30 million unfavourable swing in unrealised gains linked to its investment in DPC Dash Ltd.
Despite this, operational performance showed resilience. Income from operations rose 9.6 per cent to $230.4 million, supported in part by a $7.8 million pre-tax gain from the sale of a corporate aircraft.
Domino’s footprint continued to expand, with the company ending the quarter at 22,322 stores across more than 90 markets. In the US, digital orders remained dominant, accounting for over 85 per cent of retail sales in 2025.
The company also maintained its dividend payout, declaring $1.99 per share, payable on 30 June 2026. After repurchasing $75.1 million worth of stock during the quarter, the new authorisation lifts the total available for buybacks to $1.29 billion.
Domino’s chief executive officer Russell Weiner said the company’s scale and store-level economics position it well to capture further market share in 2026, even as competition intensifies.
As Domino’s leans into expansion and capital returns, the latest results show a business managing short-term pressures while keeping its long-term growth strategy firmly in play.
