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Tag: Lucknow

  • Den Networks disputes Rs 38 crore GST orders, plans legal appeal

    Den Networks disputes Rs 38 crore GST orders, plans legal appeal

    MUMBAI: Den Networks Limited has found itself in the middle of a tax showdown, with authorities in Lucknow and Kochi slapping it with two Goods and Services Tax (GST) penalties totalling nearly Rs 38 crore. The company, however, has strongly refuted the allegations, calling the orders erroneous and confirming plans to file appeals against them.

    Dismissing both allegations, Den Networks has reiterated that these tax demands do not impact its day-to-day operations, and that the financial exposure is limited to the penalty amounts. The company remains confident of a favourable outcome in the appeals process. With a legal battle looming, the GST dispute is far from settled Den Networks is preparing to make its case, challenging the tax authorities’ interpretation in an attempt to reverse the penalties and clear its name.

    The first order, issued by the CGST and Central Excise Commissionerate, Lucknow, on 31 January 2025, imposed a penalty of Rs 4.75 crore under Section 74 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 and the Uttar Pradesh Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017. Tax authorities claimed that Den Networks had wrongfully adjusted deferred revenue for FY 2017-18, allegedly leading to lower GST payments. The company insists this assessment is incorrect.

    The second order, passed by the CGST Kochi Commissionerate on 3 February 2025, demanded a staggering Rs 33.25 crore in differential tax, along with an equal penalty amount under Section 122(2)(b) read with Section 74(9) of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, and corresponding Sections of the Kerala State Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, for the period from July 2017 to March 2022. The dispute centres on how GST should be applied—tax authorities argue it should be charged on the total amount collected by local cable operators (LCOs) from subscribers, rather than on the revenue received by Den Networks from LCOs. The company maintains that it has calculated and discharged GST correctly as per regulatory norms.

  • AMFI makes waves at Maha Kumbh 2025 with high-impact OOH campaign

    AMFI makes waves at Maha Kumbh 2025 with high-impact OOH campaign

    MUMBAI- As millions gather for spiritual renewal at Maha Kumbh 2025, another powerful message is flowing alongside the sacred rivers’ financial literacy. The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), in collaboration with Laqshya Media Group, has launched a high-impact out-of-home (OOH) campaign to bring its ‘Mutual Funds Sahi Hai’ message to over 40 crore attendees.

    Leading the campaign is the fully branded Ganga Gomti Express, a train that connects Prayagraj and Lucknow, turning daily commutes into a moving billboard for mutual funds. At Varanasi Airport, AMFI’s branding dominates departure halls, boarding gates, and arrival exits, ensuring high visibility among domestic and international travellers. Along major pilgrimage routes, billboards at Lahurabeer Crossing, Pandeypur Flyover, and Lohta Highway reinforce the message, integrating financial awareness with the event’s cultural and spiritual essence.

    AMFI chairman Navneet Munot, stated, “Maha Kumbh is a confluence of tradition and spirituality, much like mutual funds represent the confluence of faith and discipline in financial planning. Through this campaign, we aim to empower individuals with financial literacy, helping them understand the long-term benefits of investing.”

    AMFI chief executive Venkat N Chalasani said, “Our goal is to make financial planning as accessible and relatable as possible. Through culturally relevant messaging and strategic activations, we want to inspire people to take charge of their financial future.”

    Laqshya Media Limited COO Amarjeet Hudda said, “We’ve deployed a mix of static and mobile OOH formats at key transit points and city landmarks, ensuring AMFI’s message seamlessly integrates with the Maha Kumbh experience. This is not just branding—it’s about meaningful engagement.”

    By blending storytelling with strategic media placement, AMFI is setting a new benchmark in experiential OOH marketing. With the Maha Kumbh drawing millions seeking enlightenment, this campaign ensures that attendees leave not just with spiritual fulfilment, but also with practical financial insights to shape a more secure future.
     

  • My11Circle joins Lucknow IPL Team as official Title Sponsor

    My11Circle joins Lucknow IPL Team as official Title Sponsor

    Mumbai: Games24x7’s fantasy sports platform, My11Circle has signed up with RP-Sanjiv Goenka group’s newly announced Lucknow franchise as the official title sponsor. The three-year deal will see the My11Circle logo featured on the Lucknow team jersey, as it begins its IPL journey this year.

    “We are excited to announce our first IPL team sponsorship and the Lucknow team is a perfect fit as it represents the heartland of the country where cricket fans have ardently supported the sport and now get an opportunity to support their own team,” said Games24x7 co-founder Bhavin Pandya. “We launched My11Circle in 2019 and within a short span, it has emerged as one of the most popular fantasy sports platforms in the country. We witnessed a 100 per cent growth last year primarily because of our ability to connect with the discerning Indian cricket fan, where our campaigns have celebrated and rewarded their fervor and skill. We believe that this partnership will further strengthen our engagement with millions of cricket fans across India.”

    The team will fight their first IPL game this year, with Gautam Gambir as the mentor, and former Zimbabwean cricket coach, and former cricketer Andy Flower as head coach. “We are delighted to have My11Circle as our Principal Team Sponsor. We thank them for the faith they have shown in our new franchise and are confident that this will be a winning partnership,” said RPSG Sports CEO Raghu Iyer.

  • Hotstar decodes the online video consumer, unveils India Watch Report 2019

    Hotstar decodes the online video consumer, unveils India Watch Report 2019

    MUMBAI: Technology changes swiftly. However, sometimes, the market receptiveness for these changes is even faster. Take for instance some of the revelatory insights thrown by the latest ‘India Watch’ report by Hotstar. Consider the fact that Technology changes swiftly. However, sometimes, the market receptiveness for these changes is even faster. Take for instance some of the revelatory insights thrown by the latest ‘India Watch’ report by Hotstar. Consider the fact that Lucknow, Pune and Patna consume more video data than Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata., Pune and Patna consume more video data than Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Or the fact that OTT is no longer a men’s club, as much as 45 per cent of total entertainment consumption at Hotstarcomes from women.

    Similarly, Bihar and Bengal, two of India’s most poor states in per capita income, are leading the country when it comes to per capita data consumption and are much ahead of more industrialised and urban states like Maharashtra and Delhi. And, Kanpur and Kochi are ahead of Mumbai and Bengaluru when it comes to binge watching during late hours. The India Watch 2019 by Hotstarreport busts many such assumptions about the OTT market in India.

    “Video entertainment ecosystems have rarely evolved fasterthan what we are witnessing in India. With affordable
    smartphones and abundant access to data, the small screen isbecoming the preferred medium of entertainment for newconsumers. Thefuture is exciting – for consumers, for marketers, and forcontent platforms,” The Walt Disney Company APAC Chairman, Star & Disney India, Uday Shankar said in a foreword to the report. 

    The report also chronicles Hotstar’s amazing journey to becoming India’s largest premium streaming platform by viewership.Launched in 2015, Hotstar, with 400 Mn+ downloads, is already one of the most downloaded apps in India, registering 2X installs and 3X growth in consumption this year as compared to 2018. This growth catalyses from Hotstar's endeavors in taking digital video consumption to new frontiers, where non-metros are outstripping metros in terms of video consumption and regional content has grown to account for 40 per cent of overall content consumption.

    The big Cricketgamble.

    In September 2017, Star India (Hotstar’s erstwhile parent company) trumped Facebook, Reliance Jio, Sony and Bharti Airtel, and won broadcast rights for IPL for whopping Rs 16,347.50 crore for the next five years. That bet has largely paid off.

    How sports streaming in general, and IPL in particular, have helped Hotstar in achieving subscriber growth not even imagined by other OTT platforms, is clear by live streaming viewership growth on Hotstar.

    During IPL 2017, Hotstar recorded 4.5 million concurrent viewers. For IPL 2018, this number was 10.3 million. In 2019, Hotstar recorded 18.6 million concurrent viewers during IPL and 25.3 million concurrent viewers during ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup.

    Live streaming sporting events like IPL has not only helped Hotstargrow its subscriber base, but such events also provide better advertising options on the platform. Brands like Swiggy and Coca Cola ran integrated ad campaigns on Cricketing and IPL themes during this IPL season and the report talks in detail about how these brands were able to leverage IPL popularity for their brand marketing. 

    Talking about advertising oppurtunities during live events, Shankar said: “Sharp customer insights and deeper customerengagement, when powered by enhanced technologicalcapabilities, will open new possibilities for marketers, whocan now run targeted marketing campaigns at scale duringlive events.”

    During VIVO IPL 2019, 64 million viewers also participated in Watch ‘N Play, twice as many as last year.

    The contribution of live streaming sporting events on Hotstar can be gauged from the fact that in 2019, as much as 42 % of all content consumed on Hotstar was sports related while 58 per cent was in the genres of entertainment and news (despite the surge during general elections).

    Outdated gender stereotypes

    any OTT audience measurement reports have underlined how the platform is heavily skewed towards male audience. The Ormax Media report, released last month in November, found that as much as 66 per cent OTT viewers are male. The India Watch report, however, throws interesting figures.

    Not only are female viewers growing, at least on Hotstar, but there is a growing overlap of content choices among males and females on OTT space. In 2019, as much as 45 per cent of Hotstar viewership were women.

    Besides, the report finds that video consumption by women on Hotstar increased by 3.2 X timesin 2019, outpacing the growth in video consumption among men.

    Further, 40 per cent viewers of family drama shows on Hotstar are women. And men are more interested in mythology than women and 41 per cent of Game of Thrones viewers also watched Hindi family dramas.

    Hotstar EVP & Chief Product Officer Varun Narang said, “The accelerated growth of the Indian video entertainment ecosystem has had an unprecedented impact on the consumer. Today, the Indian consumer enjoys a plethora of content to choose from, has moved beyond metro cities, and isn’t limited by gender or language. More importantly, this growing accessibility has opened doors to new thoughts and ideas that are shaping a stereotype-defying consumer.”

    Regional leads the way

    The report finds that more than 40 per cent video consumption came from regional content. Tamil, Telugu and Bengali are the top regional languages. In fact, Bigg Boss Tamil is the highest watched entertainment show having beaten all the Hindi TV Shows.

    New ways to news

    Another genre witnessing huge growth in video consumption is news. 2019, being the general election year. Hotstar recorded 10 times more video consumption in news genres in 2019 compared to last year. Further, 65 per cent of news consumption comes from people in the age group of 15-34.

    The report is an important addition to the existing knowledge gap about OTT audience in India and will certainly provide new insights to marketers and content creators. 
     

  • Skechers GoRun 5 associates with Tiger Shroff

    Skechers GoRun 5 associates with Tiger Shroff

    MUMBAI: Skechers Performance, an American sports lifestyle brand, recently introduced the latest version of their popular GoRun range called the GoRun 5.

    To highlight the benefits of the product, popular actor Tiger Shroff, took the Skechers Performance GoRun 5 Challenge last Friday. The actor tried to run at the speed of 16 kmph on a treadmill wearing the shoes that were designed for speed with innovative performance technologies.

    Shroff beamed said, “I enjoyed running in these shoe, they were very comfortable.”

    Skechers Performance India CEO Rahul Vira said, “The GoRun series comes with lightweight cushioning, the M-Strike technology and a parametric web outsole for better flexibility, agility and durability during a run.”

    The GoRun 5 challenge has been thrown open to all. A branded truck will be moving across the nine other cities apart from Mumbai. Consumers from Chandigarh, Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai and Goa can take up the challenge.

  • Sanjoy Nag casts Revathy & Rituparna Sengupta in ‘Good Morning Sunshine’

    Sanjoy Nag casts Revathy & Rituparna Sengupta in ‘Good Morning Sunshine’

    MUMBAI: National Award winning director Sanjoy Nag (Memories of March) has pulled a coup of sorts by casting two National Award winning actresses Revathy and Rituparna Sengupta in his next directorial venture titled Good Morning Sunshine.

     

    The film also features Tejaswani Kolhapuri and Shweta Tripathi (Masaan). The film will be shot in Mumbai, Benaras, Lucknow and Mirzapur.  The unit recently completed a two days schedule in Mumbai. 

     

    The film revolves around Rai (Rituparna Sengupta), an aspiring director, pulls off a casting coup of sorts when yesteryear diva Radha (Revathy) finally gives her consent to play the lead in her debut feature film. Rai in her earlier avatar as a film critic of a TV channel, had trashed Radha’s latest at the box office, resulting in an unpleasant manifestation of Radha’s ego, creating a vitiated atmosphere not to mention the frayed tempers. 

     

    Lack of access to hygienic sanitation and toilet facilities, especially for women in India, cutting across the socio-economic strata forms the thread, which ties the story of ‘Sunshine’, the film being conceived. The film delves into the lives of diverse and interesting characters such as Leelavati (Shweta Tripathi), a young runaway bride; Jamini (Tejaswini Kolhapure) battling amnesia post her alleged rape; Anjali losing her only daughter Sonali while defecating in the open, and others around them who form a silent majority in India. 

     

    Thereafter, the film is an exploration of how Radha’s life intertwines with that of Rai, Leelavati, Jamini and Anjali as they set about completing their film, till an accident throws the film out of gear.

  • Cartoon Network & Pogo target 1 million kids via school contact program

    Cartoon Network & Pogo target 1 million kids via school contact program

    MUMBAI: Turner India is set to launch its annual Cartoon Network and Pogo School Contact Programs (SCPs) across the country. With innovative and engaging themes, both SCPs will not only entertain students with games, trivia and prizes but also impart valuable lessons.

     

    Cartoon Network and Pogo SCPs, which kick-started on 3 August, 2015, will run till mid-September targeting over one million students (between standards 1 to 8) in approximately 1000 schools. Combined, the SCPs will be conducted across 12 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Lucknow, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Ahmedabad and Amritsar.

     

    The Cartoon Network SCP called ‘Adventure Camp’ is themed around the channel’s latest international series Adventure Time with lead characters Finn and Jake. The SCP aims to bring adventure and an outdoorsy spirit of camping into schools through physical activities, mental games, sports, team building exercises and other activities.

     

    On the other hand, Pogo, through its ‘Bheem ka Fitness Formula’ SCP, is on a nationwide spree to make children fit and healthy like their superhero Chhota Bheem. Along with other popular Pogo characters like Mighty Raju, Tom and Jerry and Bean, kids will learn about the importance of physical and mental exercises during their daily lives and how this will help them stay sharp and fit.

     

    Children in other parts of the country, can also be a part of all the action. On Cartoon Network, they can win exclusiveAdventure Time merchandise by participating in the Adventure Camp contest from Monday-Friday at 4 pm. Pogo is giving out tips to be healthy and fit like Bheem. All kids have to do is tune-in to the new episodes of Chhota Bheem every Sunday at 9:30 am. 

  • Halonix makes the streets of India safer through its outdoor campaign

    Halonix makes the streets of India safer through its outdoor campaign

    MUMBAI: It is a well documented fact that there is a strong correlation between crime and darkness. The incidences of crimes like rape, muggings, carjackings etc are higher post sunset. Given this, Halonix – a leading lighting brand – hit upon an ingenious idea of converting advertising billboards (Hoardings) and bus shelters into street lights post sunset. The hoarding would carry an advertising message by day. By night, the lights of the hoarding would be turned outwards, pointed towards the street rather than just on the advertising message. So a dark, potentially dangerous street could be turned into a bright, well-lit one.

     

    To kickstart the effort, Halonix invited the citizens of Delhi to name streets or area in their neighbourhood that needed better lighting. The facebook page of Halonix registered many such suggestions. The top suggestion was identified by a poll. As a test run, a Halonix hoarding was put up in VasantKunj. Encouraged by the response, the company installed hoardings at more locations in Delhi.

     

    Given the encouraging feedback from Delhi, Halonix has co-opted outdoor companies to take this idea across cities. Currently Halonix has made some streets in Delhi, Mohali, Jalandhar, Kanpur, Mathura, Allahbad, Lucknow, Trivandrum and Chennai feel safer through this initiative. More cities are in the offing.

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Mr Rakesh Zutshi – Managing Director, Halonix Technologies Ltd said “We at Halonix believe that brands need to have a conscience and should continuously attempt to make the world a better place. Our brand idea – The Right Light – is not limited to the fact that we pursue excellence in our products and their quality. It represents a broader view of impacting life and society positively through the use of light.”

     

    Nima Namchu – Chief Creative Officer of Cheil, Halonix’s advertising agency, who came up with the idea added “This is a great example of the medium becoming the message. The power of the idea lies in the fact that, without spending a penny extra, every brand that takes a front lit or back lit hoarding, can implement this idea and make our cities feel safer. We hope more brands and outdoor agencies take this idea forward.”

     

    To know more about the safer city project visit:  www.facebook.com/halonixsafercity

  • Indian Badminton League to commence from 30 September

    Indian Badminton League to commence from 30 September

    MUMBAI: The second edition of the Indian Badminton League (IBL) will be held from 30 September to 15 October, the IBL Governing Council said on Monday as reported by PTI.

     

    The governing council has decided to allow franchisees to increase the team strength from 11 in the first year to 13 players. Each franchisee can pick two more players – Indian or foreign – which will further intensify the competition.

     

    “Badminton competition at the 2014 Asian Games gets over on the 29th of September, 2014. Players can directly fly-in from Incheon for the league,” said the Badminton Association of India president and IBL Governing Council chairman, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta.

     

    “Last year, too, players had reached Delhi directly from Guangzhou, China, after taking part in the World Badminton Championships. This period ensures us the right opportunity to have world’s best players for the IBL, which already has created a buzz the world over,” he added.

     

    Dr Das Gupta, who is also a member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) executive council and a vice-president at the Badminton Asia Confederation, said: “BWF is very impressed with the IBL and want to know more about it. They consider India a very important country and what can get bigger than the fact that the BWF Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held here during the Thomas and Uber Cup.”

     

    The first edition of the IBL, held between 14 and 31 August, 2013, was won by PVP Ventures-owned Hyderabad Hotshots. The team captain Saina Nehwal had remained unconquered in all the seven matches on her way to the title triumph.

     

    “Following the success of the inaugural IBL, many top players are already approaching us for this year’s event. To ensure that world’s best are available for IBL 2014, the IBL Governing Council has decided to make the most of this window,” said Sporty Solutionz chief exectuive, Ashish Chadha.

     

    The league will be played in six Indian cities – Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

  • Subrato Roy arrested

    Subrato Roy arrested

    MUMBAI: Subrata Roy, head of Sahara group, was arrested in Lucknow today by the Uttar Pradesh police following the Supreme Court’s non-bailable warrant against him for failing to appear in the court on Wednesday.

     

    The Sahara group businesses include Sahara One Media & Entertainment and real estate development.

     

    In New Delhi, Roy’s lawyer Ram Jethmalani informed the Supreme Court that Roy has surrendered in Lucknow.

     

    Police had visited Roy’s residence on Thursday but did not find him at home. Before surrendering, Roy issued a statement saying he was not absconding and was ready to “unconditionally follow” any Supreme Court directions.

     

    The Supreme Court is hearing a case against Roy for non-compliance with its directive to refund money back to investors in the Sahara’s group financial services company.