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  • Vi AGR dispute case comes up on sept 19

    Vi AGR dispute case comes up on sept 19

    The Supreme Court will hear a petition by Vodafone Idea Ltd. seeking quashing of the additional AGR demands for the period until 2016-17 this Friday, Sept. 19.

    The company moved the apex court last week seeking a direction to the Department of Telecommunications to ‘comprehensively re-assess and reconcile all AGR dues for the period up to fiscal 2016-17 following the ‘Deduction Verification Guidelines’ dated Feb. 3, 2020. It sought an early hearing on its petition.

    In a setback to telecom majors including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, the Supreme Court in May refused to review its 2021 order rejecting their pleas to rectify alleged errors in the calculation of adjusted gross revenue dues. The telecom companies had argued that arithmetical errors in the calculation be rectified and there were cases of duplication of entries.

    The top court in September 2020 fixed a time frame of 10 years for telecom service providers struggling to pay Rs 93,520 crore of AGR related dues to clear their outstanding amount to the government.

    The AGR dispute
    The AGR issue dates back over a decade, involving a prolonged dispute between telecom companies and the government over the definition of adjusted gross revenue. In its 2019 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the government’s broader interpretation, which includes revenue from non-core operations. This dramatically increased the dues owed by several telecom operators.

    In 2020, the apex court rejected any reassessment or recalculation of these dues and allowed the companies a 10-year window to pay them in installments, with interest.

    The government has become the single largest shareholder in Vodafone Idea after acquiring shares worth Rs 36,950 crore in lieu of outstanding spectrum auction dues in March. Earlier, the government had acquired around 33% stake in 2023 in lieu of statutory dues worth over Rs 16,000 crore. NDTV Profit

  • Mediaset sub-licenses LaLiga rights from DAZN in Italy

    Mediaset sub-licenses LaLiga rights from DAZN in Italy

    A select number of games from Spanish soccer’s LaLiga will be shown free-to-air (FTA) in Italy throughout the remainder of the ongoing 2025-26 season.

    Through a sub-licensing deal with LaLiga’s Italian rights-holder DAZN, the Mediaset commercial broadcaster will cover six games simultaneously with the sports subscription platform.

    This means that six of the 380 LaLiga games each season will be available FTA in Italy.

    Mediaset has suggested that the six games will include El Clasico (the clash between bitter rivals and heavyweights, Real Madrid and Barcelona), as well as the Madrid derby clash between Real and Atletico Madrid.

    DAZN holds LaLiga rights in Italy through a five-year deal (an extension) unveiled in April 2024, which also covers rights to the second-tier LaLiga Hypermotion.

    In addition to live match coverage, the deal (which also gave DAZN rights in Portugal) includes highlights rights.

    DAZN also holds five-year domestic rights to LaLiga, in a deal running through 2026-27.

    In terms of recent collaboration between the two broadcasters, earlier this year Mediaset sub-licensed rights from DAZN, in Italy (and Spain), to soccer’s FIFA Club World Cup.

    Through the agreement, Mediaset broadcast one match from the US-based tournament per day free-to-air, choosing from the best fixtures scheduled in the evening slot. The CWC featured two Italian teams – Juventus and Inter Milan.

    Italian players currently contracted to LaLiga clubs include Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Ruggeri, who both play at Atletico. Sportcal

  • US Open ratings surge on ESPN

    US Open ratings surge on ESPN

    Sports broadcasting giant ESPN’s coverage of this year’s US Open was the most-viewed edition of the tennis grand slam in the country since 2022, while the network achieved double-digit growth throughout all rounds.

    The 15-day tournament, held between August 24 and September 7, was also the most-watched tennis broadcast of the year, with the men’s singles final posting the highest viewership in a decade and ESPN’s second most-viewed on record.

    The men’s final, in which Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated Italy’s Jannik Sinner – the third straight grand slam final meeting between the pair this year after the French Open and Wimbledon – averaged 3 million viewers on ABC, up 82% from the 2024 final.

    The women’s final, meanwhile, averaged 2.4 million on ESPN, up 50% from last year, as Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka beat American Amanda Anisimova to win her second US Open.

    The men’s (up 37%) and women’s (up 62%) semi-finals each attracted 8 million viewers on ESPN.

    The quarter-finals drew their largest audience in 10 years, and early round coverage through the round of 16 on ESPN posted its best numbers since 2022.

    The new Sunday start also proved to be a big draw, with ESPN delivering its most-viewed opening day coverage since 2022, with audiences up nearly 83% year over year.

    More audience highlights saw 5 million viewers watch the round of 16 on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, making it the most-viewed since 2019. It was also ABC’s most-watched US Open round of 16 broadcast since 2015.

    Yesterday, media giant Warner Bros. Discovery also revealed impressive viewing numbers for its US Open coverage across Europe.

    In total, the Eurosport 1 linear channel grew its US Open audience by 32% from 2024, as it broadcast the tournament exclusively to 45 countries across the continent.

    Eurosport provided 260 hours of live coverage in total from the hard-court slam, with Romania (50%) and the Netherlands (27%) two of the markets that recorded the most significant year-on-year growth in viewing numbers. Sportcal

  • Eunice Kim to exit role as Netflix CPO

    Eunice Kim to exit role as Netflix CPO

    Eunice Kim, Netflix‘s chief product officer, is leaving the streaming giant.

    The reasons behind Kim’s exit after almost five years at Netflix were not immediately clear. Netflix chief technology officer Elizabeth Stone will take over Kim’s duties until a replacement is found, the company said.

    Kim, after joining Netflix in January 2021 to lead the Consumer Product Innovation team, was named chief product officer in October 2023. Prior to Netflix, she spent 10 years in product leadership roles at Google Play and YouTube, where she was director of product management. Earlier in her career she worked at companies including PepsiCo and Adobe Systems.

    Among other initiatives, Kim oversaw a the major redesign of Netflix’s connected-TV interface, which debuted in May 2025, designed to make the service simpler and more intuitive to navigate and to provide more flexibility in presenting and promoting livestreamed events.

    Greg Peters, Netflix’s co-CEO who previously served as the company’s chief product officer, said in a statement: “I’m incredibly grateful for Eunice’s leadership and partnership during a pivotal time for our business. Over the past five years, Eunice has made many significant contributions to Netflix — most recently launching our new TV experience. She has been an incredibly hardworking, dedicated, and caring leader for the organization. We thank her for everything and look forward to following her continued success.”

    In a statement provided by Netflix, Kim said: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such a talented team at Netflix. Over the past five years, we grew the business together from 200 million to over 300 million members by successfully launching and scaling many major growth initiatives, including the ads plan. We also redesigned the product experience, expanding beyond VOD to support a much broader entertainment offering — including live events, ads, and games. I’m proud of what we built, and I’m excited to see what’s next for the company.”

    Kim holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She serves on the board of directors for Cure CMD, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to advance research of treatments for congenital muscular dystrophies and improve the lives of those living with CMD. Variety

  • NDTV board approves ₹396.5cr rights issue offer

    NDTV board approves ₹396.5cr rights issue offer

    NDTV has approved a rights issue of fully paid-up equity shares to raise up to Rs 396.5 crore, the company said in a stock exchange filing.

    At its board meeting held on September 8, the company cleared the issuance of 4,83,53,450 equity shares of face value Rs 4 each at a price of Rs 82 per share, including a premium of Rs 78.

    The issue will open on 22 September and close on 8 October 2025. The deadline for on-market renunciation of rights entitlements is 3 October.

    The entire issue price will be payable at the time of application.

    The rights issue will be offered to eligible equity shareholders in the ratio of 3 equity shares for every 4 shares held on the record date. Fractional entitlements will not be considered.

    The issue size, if fully subscribed, will aggregate up to Rs 396.5 crore.

    Earlier this month, the board of the media company had approved raising a capital of Rs 400 crore via rights issue of fully paid-up equity shares.

    NDTV, which is part of the Adani Group, said the move will help strengthen its balance sheet and support growth plans. StoryBoard18

  • Streaming Ads boost: Netflix joins forces with Amazon

    Streaming Ads boost: Netflix joins forces with Amazon

    Amazon Ads and Netflix have announced a partnership that provides advertisers using Amazon DSP with direct access to Netflix’s premium ad inventory. The offering will be available in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Italy, Germany, and Australia, providing availability for marketers using Amazon DSP in these countries. The new integration will be available beginning in Q4 2025.

    “We’re delighted to enter into this partnership with Netflix, enabling brands to reach their subscribers and extensive library of premium content with Amazon DSP. Our goal is to remove the guesswork for advertisers by making it simple to manage all of their TV planning and buying with Amazon Ads,” said Paul Kotas, Senior Vice President, Amazon Ads.

    “This partnership with Amazon perfectly aligns with our commitment of bringing advertisers even greater flexibility in their buys to achieve their marketing goals. By integrating Amazon DSP and enabling even more advanced capabilities together over time, we’re making it easier than ever to connect with Netflix’s global engaged audience,” said Amy Reinhard, President of Advertising, Netflix.

    Amazon DSP is a technology solution available to Amazon Ads customers, providing choice and flexibility to drive meaningful moments between brands and consumers. Amazon DSP leverages unique first-party insights paired with sophisticated clean room technology to bring advertisers and publishers closer together, increasing efficiency and improving performance. It leverages advanced AI to deliver impactful ads to relevant audiences through automation that streamlines campaign planning, buying, and measurement. Variety

  • Warner Bros Discovery in Paramount Skydance’s sights

    Warner Bros Discovery in Paramount Skydance’s sights

    Long-gestating speculation about a sale of Warner Bros. Discovery burst out into public view on Thursday after the Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount’s new owners are preparing a bid for the rival media company.

    Analysts told CNN that the potential offer from Paramount is likely the beginning of a bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, known as WBD. They cautioned that any actual deal would be a protracted, complicated affair.

    Shares of WBD, CNN’s parent, surged 29% to close at a three-year high. WBD’s stock has now almost fully rebounded to the level the company started when it was formed through a merger in 2022.

    Shares in Paramount soared more than 15% in a further reflection of investor enthusiasm about the beleaguered media giants.

    Long-gestating speculation about a sale of Warner Bros. Discovery burst out into public view on Thursday after the Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount’s new owners are preparing a bid for the rival media company.

    Analysts told CNN that the potential offer from Paramount is likely the beginning of a bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, known as WBD. They cautioned that any actual deal would be a protracted, complicated affair.

    Shares of WBD, CNN’s parent, surged 29% to close at a three-year high. WBD’s stock has now almost fully rebounded to the level the company started when it was formed through a merger in 2022.

    Shares in Paramount soared more than 15% in a further reflection of investor enthusiasm about the beleaguered media giants.

    Comcast, Amazon and Netflix have been named as other potential bidders for all or part of WBD.

    Earlier on Thursday, analysts at Wells Fargo called the streaming service and movie studio side of the WBD house “an attractive M&A candidate” and asserted that Netflix “is the most compelling buyer.”

    Paramount’s apparent interest is no surprise since the company’s ambitious new CEO, David Ellison, has talked about a desire to strike further deals.

    Ellison, son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, headed up the much smaller Skydance Media, and spearheaded the recent takeover of Paramount’s TV and movie studio assets.

    Having worked hard behind the scenes to win Trump administration approval for the deal, Ellison has spent recent weeks setting the merged Paramount Skydance on a new, digitally native path.

    John Malone, chair emeritus of WBD’s board and a longtime mentor to WBD CEO David Zaslav, said during a recent book tour that he has conferred with Ellison about “further consolidation in the media industry.”

    Malone told The New York Times that he met with Ellison on the sidelines of an annual conference of media and tech moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho, last summer.

    Of Ellison, Malone said he would “bet on that guy.”

    Representatives for the two companies declined to comment on the Journal’s account of an expected bid.

    WBD, meanwhile, is continuing to prepare for its corporate breakup. CNN and other TV networks will be part of “Discovery Global,” while HBO, HBO Max, the Warner Bros. studio and other assets will be part of “Warner Bros.”

    At an investor conference earlier this week, Zaslav said that “everything’s on track” for the split.

    Zaslav has spoken repeatedly about the need for consolidation in the industry, and some observers have speculated that the two halves of WBD, once split in 2026, would seek to be buyers, rather than sellers. CNN

  • Manthan Broadband’s ₹31 cr assets to be auctioned on oct 9

    Manthan Broadband’s ₹31 cr assets to be auctioned on oct 9

    Manthan Broadband Services Private Limited, which is under liquidation, has announced an e-auction of its assets worth over Rs 31 crore on October 9, 2025. The auction will be conducted by the company’s liquidator, Mr. Sandip Mitra, under the orders of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Kolkata Bench, which initiated the liquidation process on April 6, 2022.

    The auction will be held between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM (IST) on the BAANKNET platform (formerly Bikroy). Assets will be sold on an “AS IS WHERE IS, AS IS WHAT IS, WHATEVER THERE IS, AND NO RECOURSE” basis.

    Assets on sale

    • Block A: Land with assets at Mouza-Tajpur, P.S. Ramnagar, East Medinipur, West Bengal. Area: approx. 3 acres. Reserve price: ₹3.55 crore.
    • Block B: Land with assets at Mouza-Tajpur, P.S. Ramnagar, East Medinipur, West Bengal. Area: approx. 10.095 acres. Reserve price: ₹11.95 crore. (Title deeds not in liquidator’s possession).
    • Block C: Land with assets at Mouza-Tajpur, P.S. Ramnagar, East Medinipur, West Bengal. Area: approx. 13.065 acres. Reserve price: ₹15.50 crore. (Title deeds for only 3 acres are available with the liquidator).

    Bidder requirements
    Interested bidders must register on the BAANKNET auction portal and submit eligibility documents along with an undertaking under Section 29A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code by October 4, 2025. The Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) must be submitted by October 6, 2025.

    The highest bidder will be liable to bear stamp duty, legal fees, transfer charges, GST, and other applicable taxes. The balance sale consideration must be paid within 30 days of demand; payments beyond this period will attract 12% interest. Failure to pay within 90 days may lead to cancellation of the sale.

    The liquidator has reserved the right to cancel or modify the auction or disqualify bidders without assigning any reason. Full details and the E-Auction Process Information Document are available on the BAANKNET portal.

    The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Kolkata on 18th September 2019 admitted a petition for the initiation of a Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) against Manthan Broadband Services Private Limited. The application was filed by Alliance Broadband Services Private Limited, which serves as the financial creditor in the case.

    The NCLT bench found that Manthan Broadband Services had defaulted on a financial debt. The total claimed default amount was Rs. 11,06,15,268, which included a principal amount of Rs. 10.20 crore and accrued interest. InsolvencyTracker

  • Medtech manufacturers asked to revise prices after GST change

    Medtech manufacturers asked to revise prices after GST change

    The central drugs regulator on Thursday issued an order to the medical device manufacturers giving a three-month window to the industry to sticker their inventory with the revised retail sale price (MRP) that will reflect the reduced goods & services tax (GST) rates. The order covers both importers and manufacturers of class C and D medical devices.

    Class C and D medical devices are categorised as moderate-high risk and high-risk devices, respectively, that include products like bone fixation implants, diagnostic equipment like CT scan and MRI machines, pacemakers, defibrillators and implantable stents. The order has also directed the state drugs controller to expedite the process of issuing no-objection certificates to manufacturers to alter the labels (stickers).

    On September 3, the government reduced GST rates on medical devices from 12% to 5%. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) order comes close on the heels of a circular issued by Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) on September 9 permitting manufacturers to declare the revised MRP on the unsold stock manufactured/imported prior to the revision of GST, after including the applicable tax rates, up to December 31 or till the old stock has been exhausted. The DoCA also insists that the manufacturers should issue advertisements on the revised prices.

    Logistics and challenges of implementation
    Though the industry players said that both the advertising and the stickering are not feasible. “There are small- and medium-sized companies producing a large number of SKUs (stock keeping units). It will not be practical for them to advertise the revised prices for each of their product. At the chemist level also, it’s not possible to put posters on product-specific price revisions,” said a large domestic device maker.

    Industry’s pushback and alternative solutions
    Rajiv Nath, forum coordinator at Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) said that it will be disruptive to recall the inventory for stickering of revised MRP. “The CDSCO circular does not resolve our issues and challenges to revise MRP by stickers on billions of inventory of medical products in the supply chain. We have sought exemption from the need to sticker lowered MRP on medical devices. Instead, the manufacturers can communicate the reduced MRP to consumers through their websites,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is working on the guidelines for the implementation of the revised GST rates for pharma and MedTech sector. It will likely issue these guidelines issued by early next week, as per official sources. The Financial Express

  • AI-enabled digital mental health tools under FDA review

    AI-enabled digital mental health tools under FDA review

    The US Food and Drug Administration will hold an advisory panel meeting in November to examine the fast-emerging class of AI-enabled digital mental health devices.

    The agency’s Digital Health Advisory Committee will meet on November 6 and focus on how these digital tools could help address a widening gap in access to mental health services in the United States, while also probing the unique risks they pose.

    There has been a sharp growth in AI-enabled digital mental health tools from chatbots to virtual therapists. While these technologies promise reach, scalability and timely intervention, regulators are grappling with how to ensure such devices are both effective and safe.

    The FDA itself has begun experimenting with AI in its review work.

    The DHAC meeting aims to set the groundwork for identifying key areas of concern and potential regulatory pathways, according to a document, opens new tab published on Thursday.

    DHAC’s charge is to advise the FDA on regulatory issues surrounding digital health technologies including AI/ML, remote patient monitoring, digital therapeutics and software components of medical devices.

    The agency has opened a public docket for comments ahead of the session. Background materials will be posted online at least two business days before the meeting. Reuters