MAM
Twitter India ropes in Viral Jani to head TV affairs
MUMBAI: Twitter India has appointed Viral Jani as head of TV partnerships. He will be based at the company’s Mumbai office. As part of his new role, Jani will work closely with the complete TV ecosystem of broadcasters, production houses and audience measurement systems to make Twitter the second screen to TV in India.
His main responsibility will be to forge strategic partnerships with broadcasters to help channels amplify their message, drive more viewers, and generate more user engagement with their content on Twitter.
Jani aims to lead this social TV movement in India by bringing the best content from TV channels to Twitter for live, public conversations, while enabling Twitter as an incredible video and visual-driven storytelling platform to drive tune-in and audience engagement for TV channels.
Moving forward, Jani is keen to position Twitter as the largest virtual couch for viewing TV content in India, and facilitate broadcasters to use the full suite of Twitter’s products such as Twitter native video, Twitter Amplify, Vine, Periscope, SnappyTV and TV analytics.
Twitter Asia Pacific and Middle East media vice president Rishi Jaitly said, “Twitter is the ultimate companion to television and we have invested considerable time and effort in partnerships with TV broadcasters worldwide to ensure they are able to amplify the live, public conversations about their shows on our platform. In his new role, Viral will expand Twitter’s leadership and footprint in the social TV market in India, prioritising TV partners that drive audience engagement and growth.”
Jani added, “Television is one of the largest conversation generators on Twitter, and viewers are far more engaged when they are watching TV and tweeting at the same time. Twitter is also where viewers discover great TV content that is being watched now, from live events to scripted shows to reality TV. I’m thrilled to join the team at this exciting time for Twitter in India.”
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.
