MAM
With no LIVE audience, PKL teams opt for digital innovation to connect with fans
Mumbai: With a week left for the launch of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season eight, the excitement is palpable among fans as well as the playing teams. For UP Yoddha, the latest edition offers another opportunity to level up their game from the play-offs and clinch the coveted trophy for the first time.
The team has consistently made it to the playoffs in every season since its inception in 2017, but has yet to win the title. “We are very excited to have the PKL return after a hiatus of almost two years. The players cannot wait to be back in the competitive environment. And, this time we are more focused and energised to reach the final step and lift the trophy,” says GMR League Games and UP Yoddha CEO Vinod Bisht in an exclusive chat with Indiantelevision.com.
The team is all set to begin its campaign with a first match against defending champions Bengal Warriors on the opening day – 22 December. Unlike before, the latest edition of the league will be played without any LIVE audience due to Covid protocols, and with all teams integrated into a bio-bubble. But, that has not deterred the enthusiasm among the teams, says Bisht.
“The players’ will to win and competitiveness will only get fiercer. But, they are mindful of the changing scenarios, the absence of fans, and a testing bubble life,” says the CEO.
Bisht, a former commanding officer (CO) in the Indian Army started his Sports journey as a business mentor for Patna pirates in PKL, before teaming up with the UP Yoddha Franchise. Based in Greater Noida, the GMR Group-owned UP Yoddha franchise was introduced into the league in the fifth season and has been part of the league ever since.
Talking about the post-pandemic impact on the overall experience of the game, Bisht says, “We would have loved to have a full-house cheering for us on home ground, but we need to be cautious of the situation we are in. The safety of our fans is our top priority. With everything that’s happening around, everyone needs to adapt. We just want our players to play passionately, and our fans to enjoy the game even if it’s from the comfort of their home.”
All matches will be aired LIVE on Star Sports Network, the official broadcast network, and streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, which has already unveiled its mega campaign, #JoBhidegaWohBadhega, featuring former Indian cricket team skipper MS Dhoni.
Elaborating on how the franchise plans to elevate the experience for their fans who will be watching from home, Bisht says, “We are doing series of online activations involving our fans who we call the ‘Yoddha Toli’ and this Yodhha Toli will interact with our players and other fans through various innovative digital innovations.” The franchise will also focus more on social media interfaces, being mindful of the ongoing pandemic. “But, we definitely intend to meet all our fans at our state-of-the-art UP Yoddha BK Kabaddi Academy in Meerut once the season is over,” he adds.
ABP News has come on board as the principal sponsor of the UP Yoddha for the 2021-22 season, and the channel logo will feature prominently on the players’ jerseys. “We are the only kabaddi team from Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India population-wise and given the ongoing situation it was physically impossible to reach all corners of the state, and that’s where ABP News comes in,” says Bisht on association with the news channel. “Considering the popularity of the league, the partnership will help ABP News connect with a wider audience by capturing the interest of sports consumers across both rural and urban markets in the Hindi speaking states.”
The partnership also comes at a time when the state of Uttar Pradesh is heading into polls, which creates its own buzz around activities associated with the state.
This season, the team has also upped its game with the addition of star player Pradeep Narwal for a whopping ₹1.65 crore, becoming one of the most expensive players auctioned at a league outside of cricket.
Talking about the growth in viewership of the sports event, Bisht says, “Kabaddi is one of those childhood games that you played with your friends, a sport that’s close to every Indian’s heart. It has been one of the most played sports in our country, and PKL has allowed teams to represent different parts of our country which shows how much the sport has grown over the years.”
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.
