ITV

Category: Financials

  • Nestle India posts strong Q1 performance, net profit surges 14.6%

    Nestle India posts strong Q1 performance, net profit surges 14.6%

    NEW DELHI: FMCG major Nestle India posted a strong performance in the opening quarter of 2021, reporting a 14.6 per cent year-on-year growth in its net profit. Beating estimates, its PAT stood at Rs 602 crore, up from Rs 525 crore in the year-ago period.

    Total sales increased by 8.9 per cent during the quarter, while domestic sales rose by 10.2 per cent, mainly driven by volume and mix.

    The consumer goods giant’s revenue from operations during the quarter came in at Rs 3,610.8 crore, a surge of 8.6 per cent from Rs 3,325 crore in the same period last year.

    Its e-commerce operations have continued to pay dividends and grew by 66 per cent to maintain its robust contribution to the domestic sales.

    Export sales were lower by 12.9 per cent due to lower exports to affiliates. Demand in out of home channel has improved in the quarter but still remains impacted by Covid2019, the company said in a BSE filing.

    Key brands like Maggi noodles, Kitkat, Nescafé Classic, Maggi sauces, Milkmaid, Maggi Masala-e-Magic have also performed strongly and achieved double digit growth in Q1.

    “As the pandemic rages on, the quarter gone by has been another test of resilience of my team and our partners,” said Nestle India chairman & MD Suresh Narayanan. “I feel incredibly privileged to lead a team who faced with serious challenges, persevered regardless, to deliver double digit growth over a strong comparable in 2020. It is tribute to the commitment of the team to serve consumers as best as we could during the pandemic.”

    At the operating level, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in Q1 grew by 17.1 per cent to Rs 929.8 crore and margin expanded 190 bps to 25.8 percent compared to the year-ago period.

  • GTPL Hathway posts Rs 599.1 crore revenue for Q4

    GTPL Hathway posts Rs 599.1 crore revenue for Q4

    KOLKATA: On the back of strong performance in the fourth quarter of FY21, GTPL Hathway has posted Rs 599.1 crore revenue, up 29 per cent year-on-year. The pan-India multi system operator (MSO)’s revenue from operations for the last fiscal has gone up 22 per cent year-on-year to reach Rs 2148.4 crore. It has netted Rs 57.1 crore profit in Q4 compared to 13.8 crore loss in the corresponding period of FY20.

    EBITDA stood at Rs 101.16 crore for the quarter ended 31 March 2021, up 32.32 per cent from Rs 76.45 crore in the same quarter a year ago.

    GTPL’s cable TV subscription revenue stands at Rs 266.5 crore for the quarter compared to Rs 271.8 crore in Q3. However, CATV subscription revenue has grown by four per cent for FY21, reaching 1071.2 crore.

    On the other hand, its broadband revenue has grown five per cent quarter-on-quarter basis to reach Rs 81.7 crore in Q4. While CATV subscription revenue saw only one per cent year-on-year growth for the quarter, broadband business has seen a huge turnaround registering 77 per cent year-on-year spike.

    Significantly, the MSO’s overall subscriber base for pay TV universe has remained the same at eight million in FY21 but active broadband subscriber base has increased by 1.5X to reach overall 635K users. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) has also gone up by 5.5 per cent and stands at Rs 445 at the end of FY 21. The company has added 540K new home passes in the year. In the last quarter, it has added 70K home pass and added 45K broadband subscribers.

    “GTPL Hathway consistently delivered on key KPIs, despite lockdown and restrictions in FY21. The highlight of FY21 was the growth in subscription revenues for both CATV and broadband business, strong profitability, net-debt free status, geographical expansion, healthy balance sheet and improved return ratios,” GTPL Hathway managing director Anirudhsinh Jadeja said.

    “We have reduced our gross debt by Rs 693 million in FY21. Additionally, the company’s board has recommended to increase the dividend to Rs 4 per share in FY21. The company associated with Boman Irani as its brand ambassador during Q4FY21. GTPL is gearing up to launch new products and services in FY22, thereby propelling its value-proposition in existing and new markets,” he added further.

    (All numbers stated here are on consolidated basis unless stated otherwise)

  • Quint Digital’s net profit surges to Rs 45 lakh in Q4

    Quint Digital’s net profit surges to Rs 45 lakh in Q4

    NEW DELHI: Quint Digital Media Ltd (QDML)  has reported positive growth during the quarter ended 31 March 2021, posting a net profit of Rs 45 lakh for the period.

    During the previous quarter, the company had reported a net profit of Rs 18 lakh.

    Its revenue for operations for the fourth quarter of FY21 stood at Rs 6.56 crore, up from Rs 6.23 crore in the third quarter.

    QDML had acquired The Quint, Hindi Quint and Fit digital properties on 1 July 2020, and has been operating them for nine months of FY20-21. During the nine-month period ending March 2021, the digital publication posted operating revenue of Rs 18.03 crore, and profit after tax of Rs 1.70 crore.

    Quint's programmatic and partner revenues contributed 25 per cent of the overall revenue during the fourth quarter.

    The company said audience footprint across its websites and various digital platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, is also strong and diversified.

    Additionally, the digital properties had nearly 14.8 million subscribers/followers across various platforms at the end of the last fiscal.

    "The management is confident that its digital properties have entered a phase of sustained profitable growth," the company said in a statement.

    For the full year, net loss was Rs 1.86 crore in the year ended March 2021 as against net loss of Rs 27.49 crore during the previous fiscal ended March 2020. Sales rose 50.93 per cent to Rs 21.13 crore in the year ended March 2021 as against Rs 14 crore during the previous year.

  • Eros STX reports $144 mn revenue for first 6 months of FY21

    Eros STX reports $144 mn revenue for first 6 months of FY21

    KOLKATA: Multinational media entertainment company Eros STX Global Corporation has reported $144 million revenue million for the six months ended 30 September 2020, compared to $210 million in the prior year period. 

    The decline in revenue has been attributed to significant reduction in global film releases resulting from the negative effects of Covid2019, partially offset by revenue growth from the STX film library.

    Operating expenses stood at $152 million and, excluding merger related costs, were $134 million, for the period, compared to $276 million in the prior year period. This decline was driven by significantly lower film release marketing and distribution costs due to the pandemic.

    “The company is in the process of finalising its complete financial statements for the six months ended 30 September 2020. Completing the full financial statements has required additional time and resources due to the complexities associated with converting legacy Eros from IFRS to US GAAP and to legacy STX’s accounting policies, and the ongoing deployment of a new and integrated SAP accounting platform. The company expects to issue complete and reviewed financial statements for the interim period by 30 April 2021,” it stated in a filing.

    As legacy STX was deemed the accounting acquirer in the business combination, the consolidated financial results for the six-month period ended 30 September 2020 include only two months of legacy Eros, starting on 31 July 2020 when the merger of Indian film and entertainment studio Eros International, and the American film studio STX Entertainment closed.

    Net cash provided by operating activities was $13 million and, excluding merger related cash costs, was $27 million, for the six months ended 30 September 2020.

    Operating Loss of $7 million and, excluding merger related costs, operating profit of $10 million, for the six month period compared to an operating loss of $65 million in the year ago period.

    As of 30 September 2020, total debt was $384 million and cash on hand was $82 million. The company’s fiscal 2021 ending net debt balance is expected to be below the $325 million guidance provided on the investor call held on 4 November 2020.

    These interim results are a subset of the previously announced preliminary financial results for the first nine months of fiscal 2021, ended 30 December 2020. 

  • Facebook sees dip in ad demand in last 3 weeks of Q1

    Facebook sees dip in ad demand in last 3 weeks of Q1

    MUMBAI: Despite increased engagement due to shelter-in-place directives in many countries, Facebook experienced a significant reduction in the demand for advertising. After the initial steep decrease in advertising revenue in March, Facebook has seen signs of stability reflected in the first three weeks of April.

    However, the social media giant has reported $17.74 billion, slightly beating analysts’ expectations for the quarter up by 18 per cent, and net income of $4.9 billion (or earnings per share of $1.71). Advertising revenue stood at $17.44 bn.

    Daily active users (DAUs) on the social media platform were 1.73 billion on average for March 2020, an increase of 11 per cent year-over-year. And monthly active users (MAUs) reached 2.60 billion as of March 31, 2020, an increase of 10 per cent year-over-year.

    “Our community metrics, including Facebook DAUs and MAUs and Family MAP and DAP, reflect increased engagement as people around the world sheltered in place and used our products to connect with the people and organizations they care about. We expect that we will lose at least some of this increased engagement when various shelter-in-place restrictions are relaxed in the future,” the company stated in a statement.

    Facebook also witnessed a related decline in the pricing of its ads, over the last three weeks of the first quarter of 2020. However, due to the increasing uncertainty in its business outlook, Facebook has not provided any specific revenue guidance for the second quarter or full-year 2020.

    “After the initial steep decrease in advertising revenue in March, we have seen signs of stability reflected in the first three weeks of April, where advertising revenue has been approximately flat compared to the same period a year ago, down from the 17 per cent year-over-year growth in the first quarter of 2020. The April trends reflect weakness across all of our user geographies as most of our major countries have had some sort of shelter-in-place guidelines in effect,” it added.

    It expects to realize operational expense savings in certain areas such as travel, events, and marketing as well as from slower headcount growth in the business functions. But it also mentioned that the company plans to continue to invest in product development and to recruit technical talent.

    “We plan to continue to grow our capex investments to enhance and expand our global infrastructure footprint over the long term. In 2020, we expect capital expenditures to be approximately $14-16 billion, down from the prior range of $17-19 billion. This reduction reflects a significant decrease in our construction efforts globally related to shelter-in-place orders,” it added.

  • Zuckerberg promises better shopping experience through JioMart-WhatsApp

    Zuckerberg promises better shopping experience through JioMart-WhatsApp

    MUMBAI: It seems Facebook has great ambition for e-commerce and small business in India. While speculations have been rife on the scope of the social media giant’s investment in Mukesh Ambani’s Jio, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg keeps emphasising on small businesses and a better shopping experience.

    “One aspect of online commerce I want to mention is the partnership we just announced with Jio Platforms in India. The largest Facebook and WhatsApp communities in the world are in India, and we think there's an especially important opportunity to serve small businesses and enable commerce there over the long term. By bringing together JioMart, which is Jio's small business initiative to connect millions of shops across India, with WhatsApp, we think that we’re going to be able to create a much better shopping experience. There's a lot more we can do here and I'm looking forward to making progress with the team at Jio,” he commented in an earnings call after announcing q1 results.

    He also mentioned that there are millions of small businesses and shops across India and they want to try to help them get on a single network to communicate through Whatsapp and make online payment through WhatsApp. The Facebook CEO added that it is a great example of how they can wire up and help small businesses in the country where they have the largest WhatsApp community.

    “But certainly all the products and technology that we’re building to enable that partnership are going to be things we’re going to want to do around the world,” he added.

    Recently, Facebook made an investment of Rs 43,574 crore into Jio Platforms, translating into a 9.99 per cent equity stake in it on a fully diluted basis. Now, along with a strong local ally, it becomes one of the largest contenders in the e-commerce battle with Amazon and Flipkart. While Jio disrupted the telecom industry, it is unsure yet as to how the JioMart- Whatsapp force will unravel. 

  • Fabricating Trust with Customers

    Fabricating Trust with Customers

    Being successful in business involves several inputs. You have to set your business above the competitors' and ensure that you market wisely to make it in the industry. However, without trust from customers and honesty in the online business world, you will fail terribly. You need to make customers and clients trust you and what you are offering for sale.

    Your ecommerce website will never convert if customers are skeptical about your services or products. Build trust with visitors to your site and the target audience by doing the right things, operating under laid out regulations, and of course, delivering quality products.
    Building trust and honesty for your ecommerce website are imperative for success. Always remember that trust is not just earned easily. You will have to keep doing and delivering quality without fail over a period of time. Bad reputations shredder down all the trust you have built for years so beware. Follow the techniques below to gain confidence from your customers and increase your revenue.

    • Contact Information

    There are many scam business schemes out there on the internet today. Most will only say that they are registered but fail to provide the necessary documentation. Make sure your business is registered here for the stores in Cyprus. You will need to prove to potential customers that your online business is legitimate.
    Add a "Contact" page to your ecommerce website. It is where customers will reach you when they have questions, concerns, or just any issues about your ecommerce website. The information posted here could be your mailing addresses, your telephone numbers, and email plus any other relevant contact information. Adding your LinkedIn profile URL and Twitter username goes a long way in building credibility for your website.

    • Executive Web Design

    You should know that even if you have the best products or services for sale, but your website design looks sluggish and so outdated, then there will be question marks about its authenticity. Fraudulent ecommerce websites are usually affiliated with tired and sluggish unprofessional websites. Create a professional, user-friendly online site that is encompassed with high-definition graphics, and you will be amazed at the influx of visitors to your online business. Many people trust executive websites, as they capture their attention. They will want to remain at your site and perform further exploration.

    • Work on Broken Links

    That is one mistake that will push away clients and customers. Broken links raise many red flags and will drive away traffic from your ecommerce website. They portray unprofessionalism and lack of attention to the small things that matter.
    Build trust with your customers by ensuring there are no broken links on your site. Make sure the site is routinely checked to identify broken links in good time. Some programs and plugins block broken links and send reports or fix the issue. Look for such and include them on your website.

    • Privacy Policy

    Nowadays, the leaking of sensitive information belonging to the customers is prevalent. Therefore, it is potent to assure customers that their data is safe when they transact with you. Create a privacy policy and include it in your online business.
    That is where you assure clients that you will never share or sell their information, such as financial records, name, address, or credit information to any other third party company. This gives them peace of mind, and they will trust you and what you offer them.

    • Include Testimonials

    There are times that potential customers will only believe what another client who has transacted previously with you says. They trust what that previous customer says about your ecommerce website will be honest and genuine.
    Therefore, why not include them testimonials on your site. That will satisfy any skeptical customers who want to leave at that last minute when they had already made up their minds to buy your product. Whether the customer says your payment systems are the best or you offer excellent quality products, make sure you include that on the site for more credibility.

    • Secure the Checkout

    Ensure that your merchant service provider is reliable and trusted by many. Using PayPal and Stripe services will make your online business more authentic as these are companies that are popularly known and used by many people, for they are secure.
    You could also add some text on the site that assures customers that you have checked and updated all security measures, so their financial information is secure with you to earn their trust.

    • Show Customers your Social Media Influence

    If your online business has a strong social media base, then make sure you include that information on the site. That will build trust with the clients as firms with massive social media following prove legitimate and trustworthy. In any case, your business Twitter account is displaying 5,000+ followers to the customers; then, they will automatically trust what you offer them.

    • Cash-repayment Guarantee

    It is always crucial to be fair in business. If a customer has purchased a product from your online store and they do not like it probably because of color or something, it is important to return their money.
    Such a case will be rampant with sizable purchases. If they do not get the size of a product they wanted, give their money back. That will make your business trustworthy even to the other customers.

    • Have a Certified Seal

    Ensure that you get a certified seal from the relevant companies or authorities to rubber-stamp your credibility. Customers will be satisfied that they are safe on a website that portrays a certified seal, and will they will purchase your products without any doubts.

    • Show Your Face

    Human beings are a social species and will always be eager to know who they are transacting with. So if your online business is legitimate, what have you got to hide? Place your face on the landing pages and build trust with your customers. That will even be more potent for businesses selling services since there will be numerous interactions with the customer. 

    • Take Away

    There are millions of websites on the internet today, and almost half are fraudulent and looking to lure unsuspecting customers, and so people have become very vigilant. They will scrutinize all the ways possible to determine whether your online business can be trusted. So make sure that you have applied the above techniques to gain credibility in the eyes of the customer.  

    For online company registration visit:https://ecompany.ltd/

  • Zee Media numbers up on higher ad revenue for Q3 2019

    Zee Media numbers up on higher ad revenue for Q3 2019

    BENGALURU: The Essel group’s television news broadcasting arm Zee Media Corporation Ltd (ZMCL) reported a 123.1 per cent growth (more than double) in consolidated profit after tax (PAT) for the period ended 31 December 2018 (Q3 2019, quarter or period under review) as compared (year-on-year comparison, y-o-y) to the corresponding year ago quarter (Q3 2018, year ago quarter). PAT in Q3 2019 was Rs 27.20 crore as compared to Rs 12.19 crore in Q3 2018. ZMCL consolidated simple operating EBITDA at Rs 57.99 crore in Q3 2019 was 26 per cent more than the Rs 46.03 crore in Q3 2018.

    The company’s consolidated operating revenue increased 22.7 per cent y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 194.22 crore from Rs 158.30 crore in the year ago quarter. Total income increased 23.2 per cent y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 196.45 crore from Rs 159.49 crore in Q3 2018.

    In its earnings release, ZMCL reported 21.9 per cent y-o-y growth in advertising revenue for Q3 2019 at Rs 175.51 crore from Rs 143.95 crore. Subscription revenue increased 10.8 per cent y-o-y to Rs 13.01 crore in Q3 2019 from Rs 11.74 crore. Other sales and services increased by 1.18 times in Q3 2019 to Rs 5.7 crore from Rs 2.61 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by ZMCL

    ZMCL’s total expenditure in Q3 2019 increased 21.7 per cent y-o-y to Rs 155.16 crore from Rs 127.52 crore. Employee benefits expense in the quarter under review increased 18.1 per cent y-o-y to Rs 38.87 crore from Rs 32.92 crore in Q3 2018. The company’s marketing promotion and distribution expenses in Q3 2019 increased 30.9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 22.01 crore from Rs 16.81 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Operating costs in Q3 2019 increased 26.3 per cent y-o-y to Rs 29.50 crore from Rs 23.36 crore. Other expenses in Q3 2019 increased 17 per cent to Rs 45.85 crore from Rs 39.18 crore in Q3 2018.

    It may be noted that ZMCL has sold its entire equity stake in Ez-Mall Online Ltd to a related party at an aggregate consideration of Rs. 8.60 crore. Accordingly, Ez-Mall Online Ltd ceased to be a subsidiary of ZMCL with effect from 30 June 2018 and gain on disposal of investments of approximately Rs 41.21 crore has been recognised during the previous quarter and shown as exceptional items. Also, during the previous quarter, ZMCL completed the acquisition of balance 40 per cent equity stake in its subsidiary Zee Akaash News Pvt Ltd (ZANPL). Accordingly, ZANPL became a wholly owned subsidiary of the company with effect from 1 June 2018 and figures for the current quarter are not comparable with previous periods presented in the consolidated financial results says the company.

  • Den reports improved numbers for Q2 over Q1

    Den reports improved numbers for Q2 over Q1

    BENGALURU: The Sameer Manchanda-led Indian cable distribution network and broadband internet services (broadband) provider Den Networks Ltd reported 5.3 percent drop in consolidated operating revenue numbers for the quarter ended 30 September 2018 (Q2 2019, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter (y-o-y, Q2 2018). Though revenue based on a quarter on quarter (q-o-q) basis and some other numbers were lower, the company’s operating profit or EBITDA in Q2 2019 was better than Q1 2019. The company said in Q1 2019 that it had tried to cut down costs, and it has managed to do that, but its consolidated content costs during the quarter under review increased by almost Rs 16 crore y-o-y, at but the same time have declined by almost Rs 2 crore q-o-q.
    Den Network’s operating profit (EBITDA) declined 37.9 percent y-o-y during the period under review to Rs 50.63 crore (16.1 percent of operating revenue) from Rs 81.55 crore (26 percent of operating revenue) but increased 9.9 percent q-o-q from Rs 57.84 crore (18 percent of operating revenue) as mentioned above.

    The company’s losses – after taxes (net loss) as well as total comprehensive loss (TCL) have increased y-o-y as well as q-o-q in the period under review. The company reported a net loss of Rs 28.54 crore during Q2 2019 and a loss of Rs 27.98 crore for Q1 2019 as compared to a net profit (PAT) of Rs 1.11 crore in Q2 2018. Den reported TCL of Rs 28.34 crore for Q2 2019, TCL of Rs 27.75 crore in Q1 2019 as compared to total comprehensive income of Rs 1.31 crore in Q2 2018.

    Segment numbers

    Den has two segments – cable distribution networks (Cable) and broadband. Both segments reported lower y-o-y revenues, but in the case of broadband, Den reported a slight q-o-q increase in revenue for Q2 2019.

    Cable segment revenue reduced 4.6 percent y-o-y in Q2 2019 to Rs 293.86 crore from Rs 307.99 crore in Q2 2018 and reduced 1.6 percent q-o-q from Rs 298.59 crore in Q1 2019. Den reported that the segment had an operating loss of Rs 5.82 crore as compared to an operating profit of Rs 27.75 crore in Q2 2018 but the loss in the quarter under review was lower than the operating loss Rs 8.26 crore in Q1 2019.

    Den Networks reported 16.6 percent y-o-y decline in operating revenue for its broadband segment in Q2 2019 at Rs 16.51 crore as compared to Rs 19.80 crore in Q2 2018 but 5.9 percent more than the operating revenue of Rs 15.59 crore in Q1 2019. The segment’s operating loss reduced slightly to Rs 6.16 crore in Q2 2019 from an operating loss of Rs 8 crore in Q1 2019 and an operating loss of Rs 8.93 crore in Q2 2018.

    Let us look at the numbers reported by Den Networks for Q1 2019

    Den Networks' consolidated revenue from operations in Q2 2019 was Rs 310.37 crore, Rs 314.18 crore in Q1 2019 and Rs 327.79 crore in Q2 2018. Consolidated total revenue including consolidated other income declined 5.9 percent y-o-y and 2.5 percent q-o-q in Q2 2019 at Rs 315.05 crore from Rs 334.90 crore in Q2 2018 and from Rs 322.98 crore in Q1 2019.

    Consolidated total expenditure for the quarter under review increased 11.9 percent y-o-y in Q2 2019 to Rs 336.78 crore (107.3 percent of operating revenue) from Rs 326.12 crore (103.8 percent of operating revenue) in the corresponding quarter of the previous year but declined 1.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 347.07 crore (110.59 percent of operating revenue).

    As mentioned above, the company has seen a y-o-y rise in content cost in actual value as well as in terms of percentage of operating revenue. Consolidated content cost increased 11.9 percent y-o-y in Q2 2019 to Rs 148.23 crore (47.2 percent of operating revenue) as compared to Rs 132.47 crore (42.2 percent of operating revenue) in Q2 2018 but declined 1.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 150.12 crore (47.8 percent of operating revenue). Consolidated placement fees increased 3 percent y-o-y in Q2 2019 to Rs 11.02 crore (3.5 percent of operating revenue) from Rs 10.70 crore (3.4 percent of operating revenue) and increased 9.7 percent q-o-q from Rs 10.05 crore (3.2 percent of operating revenue).

    Den Networks' consolidated employee benefits expense during the period under review declined 13.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 23.64 crore (7.5 percent of operating revenue) from Rs 27.38 crore (8.7 percent of operating revenue) in Q2 2018 but increased 0.8 percent q-o-q from Rs 23.45 crore (7.5 percent of operating revenue). Consolidated other expenses in Q2 2019 increased 1.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 76.65 crore (24.4 percent of operating revenue) in Q1 2019 from Rs 75.69 crore (24.1 percent of operating revenue) in the corresponding quarter of the previous year but reduced 8.9 percent q-o-q from Rs 84.16 crore (26.8 percent of operating revenue).

    Strategic investments in Den by Reliance Industries Ltd

    On 17 October 2018, the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries reported to the bourses that it has decided to make strategic investments thought a primary investment of Rs 2,045 crore through a preferential issue under SEBI regulations and secondary purchase of Rs 245 crore from the existing promoters for a 66 percent stake in Den. Reliance also said that it would make a primary investment of Rs 2,940 crore through a preferential issue under SEBI regulations for a 51.3 percent stake in Hathway Cable and Datacom Ltd (Hathway) of the Rajan Raheja group.

  • The List Of Indian TV Serials That Broke Stereotypes

    The List Of Indian TV Serials That Broke Stereotypes

    Since the dawn of the television industry, you all must have seen hundreds of serial dramas. Over the last three decades, serials have been a major part of our daily life. From ‘Ramayana Epic’ to ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ to ‘Service Wali Bahu’, everyday family members will sit together in the evening at the dinner table and watch these serials and laugh and cry together. These daily soaps influenced, dominated and established a large part of our society. And there is no doubt in saying that they left their essence to the core of our hearts and minds.

    However, the emerging socialization in the past decade has greatly changed the mindsets of the people of our country. For the better, this has also encouraged our serial directors to deviate from the usual saas-bahu dramas to more social stories, which is both hit among masses and useful to educate new-age India and break stereotypes.

    With the introduction of modern technology, smartphones, online casino, and Netflix we are rarely left with dull moment. Meaningful plots of the TV shows have helped in changing the perceptions of the people who still believed in the items of old faiths, stereotypes, and taboos!

    Here’s the list of Indian TV serials that have broken the stereotypes over the past few years:

    GANGAA

    Gangaa was launched on March 2, 2015 and is still an ongoing TV serial that airs on &TV. This TV series took up the serious issue of child widow custom in India. The plot revolves around Gangaa (played by Ruhana Khanna), a child widow. She has an indomitable will to survive and live her life to the fullest, against all old-age beliefs and norms that society is trying to impose on her. This shows the main aim is to abolish the child widow culture that is still rampant in many parts of the country.

    UTTARAN

    Uttaran debut in December 2008 and we all saw the finale episode of this amazing Indian soap opera in January 2015. This show is about two childhood friends, Ichcha and Tapasya that come from the different strata of society. This TV series showcases how despite the vast difference in their status, these two little girls become the best of friends. However, cut to 10 years we see some jealousy creeping into their relationship due to the entry of some negative characters. However, the initial theme of the show seems to break all the stereotypes regarding friendship and teach us how friendship is about connection and not about social status.

    BALIKA VADHU

    With 2,245 episodes in a span of approximately 8 years, Balika Vadhu swayed the nation from its very beginning. This show's main premise revolves around the still ongoing child marriage in our country. The child groom and bride were played by Avinash Mukherjee and Avika Gor respectively. The story revolves around the two getting married as children, growing up together, and facing difficulties related to child marriage because of their family’s involvement in the process. Through their strong storyline, this shows keeps on throwing across some critical social messages to the audiences. In 2008, the series won the ‘Best Programme With A Social Message’ award at the 8th Indian Telly Awards.

    Service Wali Bahu

    This Indian soap opera was launched in February 2015. The story of this women-centric show revolves around Payal (played by Kratika Sengar), who is a civil engineer, a homemaker and a sole bread-earner of her family. In order to support her in-laws and unemployed husband, she goes out to work. Not only the protagonist is earning bread but is taking care of household and homemaking tasks. This serial shows full support to feminism which also talks about other Indian customs such as the dowry system. Payal’s life has inspired many women in our country and it won’t be wrong to say that it has broken many stereotypes and old norms regarding women.
    These TV serials have changed the way people think and have shattered many stereotypes. And the new open way of thinking will take our country forward.