Executive Dossier
Foreign TV companies contribute more to govt tax kitty
NEW DELHI: If paying up of tax is a yardstick, then it seems foreign satellite channels are doing better than their Indian counterparts.
Foreign television channel companies have, on an average, paid higher amount of income tax than Indian channels for the financial year 2000-2001, according to India’s information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj who was replying to a question on the issue in Lok Sabha (the Lower House of Indian Parliament) yesterday.
However, the minister did not divulge the amount of tax paid by individual foreign broadcasters in India during the year she referred to. In 2001, the Indian government had said that foreign broadcasters like Star, Sony, Discovery and MTV, Turner International India operating in India will have to pay taxes (as per the Income Tax Act) here as per their assessed income only if they are making profits.
Before that, a presumptive method for taxation of foreign broadcasters was adopted in India. The change meant assessing officers will compute the profit and the foreign broadcasting companies will pay tax accordingly.
Till this budgetary announcement was made, foreign broadcasters’ Indian arm paid 48 per cent tax on 10 per cent of their total receipts in India (earnings from air time selling) which was deemed as profit. This was done under circular No. 742 issued by the government.
“If a company is not making profit, then it will not have to pay tax,” a government official had explained in 2001.
MUMBAI: Game faces on, pressure high India’s gaming ambitions are levelling up. Good Game, billed as the world’s first as-live global gaming reality show, has officially launched in India with a bold mission: to crown the country’s first Global Gaming Superstar.
Blending esports with mainstream entertainment, the show brings together competitive gaming, creativity and on-camera performance in a format that tests more than just joystick skills. Contestants will be judged on gameplay, screen presence and their ability to perform under pressure, reflecting how gaming has evolved from pastime to profession and pop culture currency.
Fronting the show are three high-profile ambassadors: actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant, and gaming creator Ujjwal Chaurasia. The winner will take home Rs 1 crore ($100,000) among the largest prize pools for any Indian reality show along with the chance to represent India on a global stage.
Backed by a planned annual investment of up to Rs 100 crore, Good Game is also courting brand partners, promising a minimum reach of 500 million among India’s core youth audience. The creators position the show as a bridge between entertainment and interactive culture, offering long-format content, community engagement and commercial scale.
Auditions are now open to Indian citizens aged 18 and above, inviting amateur and professional gamers, creators and performers alike. Shortlisted candidates will be called for in-person auditions in Mumbai on 14 and 15 February, and in Delhi on 28 February and 1 March 2026.
With big money, big names and even bigger ambition, Good Game signals a shift in how India views gaming not just as play, but as performance, profession and prime-time spectacle.
