Support for Modi

Lalit Modi may be a touch- me-not now for some but his family is there to support him forever. But support does not translate into handing over the businesses run by his father KK Modi to him. Lalit Modi already has a business unit carved out for him in the family business and that too related to the media business. His father is said to be upset that his son made IPL a grand success but his own media company is nowhere near touching big-ticket success. The ex-IPL boss never actually showered any of his ‘out-of-box’ ideas on his family business but all that might change now. But for now while he has the full emotional support of the family, taking full control of the family business might well turn out to be another battle.

Competition intensifies

The woes of telecom companies appear to have just started coming to the fore in a big way. While Bharti, which recorded first ever-net profit quarter negativity in three years, is keen to say all is well. It says the company would be able to defend its margins as also the market share but doubts persist whether difficult times would actually subside soon for the sector given the intense competition for subscriber acquisition and retention. It is time also for other big three to now come out with the financials to reveal the true state of affairs post the per second billing warfare unleashed in the market by them the last quarter.

Dismal show by DTH Inc.

Here is another difficult story. This is the story of the ever-growing DTH market with several big corporate names slugging it out in the market place. And 6 players, for a market of about 19 million or more subscribers, are far too many and consolidation is inevitable, says a sector report released by Media Partners Asia (MPA). Operators blame the “unhealthy” business environment for the industry woes, but the MPA believes business models followed by operators too require an immediate course correction.

Dabur tides over crisis

Indian FMCG major Dabur says it has weathered difficult time to cross the Rs 1,000 crore-turnover market. The category under severe pressure due to rising food costs is looking for a window to ride the bad times. The company claimed a diversified portfolio and cost efficiency helped Dabur end the fiscal with a consolidated net profit of about Rs 500 crore plus. This happened on strong volume-driven growth across its key categories like hair care, oral care, skin care, health supplements, digestives and foods. Time for other companies too to come up with impressive numbers to get the FMCG pack the bounce it deserves.