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Tag: Alt Balaji

  • SPNI hires Nimisha Pandey for top programing job at Sony-SAB

    SPNI hires Nimisha Pandey for top programing job at Sony-SAB

    MUMBAI; It’s homecoming for television creative professional Nimisha Pandey. Market sources say that she is set to join Sony Entertainment Television’s profitable Sony SAB channel as its programming head.

    For those not in the know, Nimisha had joined Multiscreen Media (as Sony was known then) for two years as an executive producer between 2004-2006 at the start of her career after completing her course in direction from the Film & Television Institute of India in Pune.

    It may be recalled that the long-serving NP Singh had retired as Sony Pictures Network India CEO a couple of months ago; he was replaced by content star Gaurav Banerjee. Nimisha is one of GB’s (as he is known) first unconfirmed senior creative hires since taking over.

    Nimisha was last the chief content head, originals at Zee5 for almost four years. Prior to that she was director international originals for nearly two years at global streaming powerhouse Netflix’s India ops Before that she held the position of head of content at Alt Balaji for three years.

    She has  had year-long-project-led stints at various production houses right from Balaji Telefilms, 4 Lions Films, Fireworks, Directors Kut, Sphere Origin (for three years),  and Shreya Entertainment over the years.

    We tried to reach out to the normally effervescent and bubbly Nimisha but she was unavailable for comment. Neither was anyone from Sony; it, being a Sunday.

    With the buzz being extremely strong, Indiantelevision.com decided to go ahead and report her appointment.

    With 20 years’ varied experience under her belt producing and commissioning shows, Nimisha does seem like the right candidate for the job.
     

  • One Health Assist appoints Divya Dixit as chief growth officer

    One Health Assist appoints Divya Dixit as chief growth officer

    Mumbai: One Health Assist has announced the appointment of business strategy veteran, Divya Dixit, as chief growth officer. In this role, Divya will be responsible for spearheading the organisation’s innovative growth initiatives, driving revenue generation through strategic partnerships and multi-channel marketing efforts, both in domestic and international markets.

    With over 25+ years of diverse experience in growth marketing, digital transformation, and business expansion, Divya has previously worked with leading organizations such as Alt Balaji, ZEE5, Saregama, Tata Docomo, Star TV, UTV, Sony Entertainment, and Barista Coffee. Her ability to scale businesses and transform brands has consistently delivered impressive results across sectors, establishing her as a leader in growth-driven roles. At Alt Balaji, under her four year leadership tenure, it witnessed a stupendous business growth, growing from a seven crore topline to a 110 Crore.

    As the CGO, Divya’s mandate focuses on driving business to consumer revenue for the brand and strategic business collaborations as well as focus on wellness and ecommerce divisions. Her role will encompass creating and executing growth-driven strategies that expand the company’s footprint in India as well as International Markets, ensuring the brand’s continued upward trajectory.

    One Health Assist founder Davinder Bhasin expressed his enthusiasm about her appointment, saying, “We are thrilled to welcome Divya onboard as our Chief Growth Officer. Her exceptional portfolio in scaling companies through growth as well as strategic initiatives speaks for itself and she will play a crucial role in our vision to be the market leader as we enter this dynamic phase in the healthcare sector.”

    One Health Assist co-founder Karan Arora added, “Divya’s proven track record of driving growth across diverse industries speaks volumes. As a forward-thinking healthcare ecosystem, One Health Assist will rapidly establish its market presence and Divya’s fresh perspective will be key to revolutionizing healthcare ecosystem”

    Speaking on her new role, Dixit said, “I’m excited to join One Health Assist at such an inflection point for the healthcare sector. Leveraging my experience across industries and startups, I look forward to driving top line initiatives that will further One Health Assist’s mission to revolutionize healthcare through digital transformation as well as driving incredible consumer experience. The brand is uniquely positioned to be an industry leader, and I’m eager to be a part of this growth curve.”

  • ALTBalaji onboards Snehil Dixit Mehra as head of content & digital media

    ALTBalaji onboards Snehil Dixit Mehra as head of content & digital media

    Mumbai: A wholly-owned subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms ALT Digital Media Entertainment appointed Snehil Dixit Mehra as the head of content & digital media. Earlier, Mehra worked with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali as associate director.

    Mehra has a vivid professional portfolio and worked as a writer, director and digital influencer. He recently forayed into acting with her stellar performance in Jio Studios’ Apharan Season 2.

    Mehra brings with her an enviable experience in the media and entertainment space and over 16 years of experience in the broadcast industry. She has held various leadership positions at Bhansali Productions, Star India, Sony Entertainment Television & Endemol India. Ektaa R Kapoor is keen on expanding her digital footprint with producing more originals and after the immense success of her digital reality show Lock Upp she aspires to create more original formats for the non-fiction audiences. Thus, a high-profile acquisition was expected, given the content powerhouse wanted the leadership to work in close association with content creators and producers.

    In her new role, Snehil will be leading the content and programming division for ALTBalaji and will be responsible for managing the upcoming original content line-up and the platform’s creative strategy.

    Talking about joining the team, Snehil said, “This is my second innings at ALTBalaji, a homecoming for me, however with a larger mandate now. I am looking forward to planning a roadmap for further accelerated growth of ALTBalaji as a leading digital content hub.”

  • Zulfiqar Khan appointed as Group COO, Balaji TeleFilms

    Zulfiqar Khan appointed as Group COO, Balaji TeleFilms

    Mumbai: Television production company Balaji TeleFilms which also owns SVOD platform ALTBalaji has appointed industry veteran Zulfiqar Khan as their new group chief operating officer (COO).

    The media conglomerate announced this news through an internal mail to its employees. Khan will be responsible for the overall success of the company’s profit and loss of operations, content, marketing, and distribution deals, it said on Thursday. 

    He will replace Nachiket Pantvaidya who recently joined Asianet New Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd as the managing director. In this new role, Zulfiqar Khan will directly report to Balaji TeleFilms MD Shobha Kapoor.  

    Zulfiqar comes with nearly two decades of experience in broadcast & digital media companies. He began his career in 1999 with Star India and spent over sixteen years serving in distinct roles. In 2015, he moved to Eros Now as business Head and CRO for Eros Now. His last stint with HOOQ as managing director saw him leading strategy for the premium video-on-demand service.  

    Commenting on the development, Balaji Telefilms joint managing director, Ekta Kapoor, said, “We are ecstatic to welcome Zulfiqar aboard. His rich experience is sure to take Balaji Telefilms Ltd. to newer heights. Zulfiqar will be a driving factor for Balaji’s vision of shaping and defining its leadership in the ever evolving Entertainment sector”. 

    Balaji Telefilms managing director Shobha Kapoor said, “We have great expectations from Zulfiqar. I am sure his robust experience coupled with Balaji Telefilms Ltd. proven business excellence across production and distribution capabilities will create significant value for us”. 

    Talking about his new role, Khan said, “I am excited to be working with Ekta and to take on this challenging journey at Balaji Telefilms Ltd. which is a pioneer in content creation across platforms as well as one of the top digital entertainment platforms in the country. I am looking forward to a remarkable journey with the organization as we chart a successful growth story for the brand across verticals, in the coming years.”

  • Asianet News Media & Entertainment hires Nachiket Pantvaidya as MD

    Asianet News Media & Entertainment hires Nachiket Pantvaidya as MD

    KOLKATA: Asianet News Media & Entertainment Pvt Ltd (AMEL) has roped in media veteran Nachiket Pantvaidya as managing director. AMEL has multiple digital brands in its portfolio including asianetnews.com, indigomusic.com etc and serves consumers in multiple languages

    Pantvaidya was the group chief operating officer of Balaji Telefilms and CEO of ALTBalaji. After joining the SVoD platform in December 2015, he scaled it to be amongst the leading players in the country. Under his leadership, the company grew to be recognised as one of India’s Top 100 most-admired brands of 2020 by White Page International.

    Pantvaidya oversaw the P&L department of the company and also its content, marketing, distribution and revenues.

    AMEL executive chairman Rajesh Kalra said: “I am delighted to welcome a leader like Nachiket to the AMEL family. With his background and significant achievements to boot, he adds significantly to the capability of this wonderful team that is poised to take a leadership position in all its areas of functioning.”

    During his career spanning 15+ years, Pantvaidya has been a part of some of the most renowned companies in the entertainment industry and has held prime leadership positions at Sony Entertainment Television, Star Plus, Star Pravahand Fox Television Studios. His career includes working with industry leaders like Disney and BBC as well.

  • ALT-Balaji a ray of hope in a productionless Covid quarter for Balaji Telefilms

    ALT-Balaji a ray of hope in a productionless Covid quarter for Balaji Telefilms

    BENGALURU: The most successful television content and film production house in India, the Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa Kapoor led Balaji Telefilms Limited (Balaji) reported a standalone loss of Rs 1.40 crore on a standalone operating revenue of Rs 21.17 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2020 (Q1 2021, quarter or period under review). Balaji reported a consolidated loss of Rs 27.9 crore for the period under review per an investor presentation. For the corresponding year ago quarter (Q1 2020), Balaji had reported consolidated loss of Rs 42.2 crore on consolidated operating revenue of Rs 90.5 crore. Balaji had reported standalone profit of Rs 10.43 crore in Q1 2020 on a standalone revenue of Rs 116.07 crore. Consolidated EBIDTA for Q1 2021 was a loss of Rs 26.30 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 32.33 crore for Q1 2020.

    Read more stories on Alt Balaji

    Hit by a halt in all production during most of Q1 2021, Balaji has reported consolidated operating revenue of Rs 35.1 crore. A big chunk of the operating revenue – Rs 14.9 crore, came in from Balaji Telefilms OTT platform ALT-Balaji. The company says in a press release that ALT-Balaji subscription revenue increased to Rs 12.9 crore in Q1 2021, while for Q1 2020, ALT Balaji’s reported subscription revenue of Rs 6.7 crore.

    Segment revenue

    Commissioned programmes

    Revenue from Balaji’s commissioned programmes during the quarter under review was less than one-twentieth of the revenue for the corresponding year ago quarter. Balaji reported operating revenue for its Commissioned programmes segment at Rs 4.10 crore for Q1 2021 which was 95.6 percent lower than the Rs 93.17 crore in Q1 2020. The segment reported an operating loss of Rs 6.33 crore in Q1 2021 as compared to an operating profit of Rs 9.67 crore in Q1 2020.

    Films segment

    Revenue from Balaji’s Films segment was 17.49 crore in Q1 2021 as compared to Rs 1.67 crore in Q1 2020. The segment had an operating profit of Rs 5.27 crore as compared to a small loss of Rs 0.10 crore in Q1 2020.

    Digital segment (ALT-Balaji)

    Revenue from Balaji’s Digital segment (OTT segment – ALT-Balaji) in Q1 2021 increased 20.9 percent to Rs 14.90 crore as compared to Rs 12.33 crore in Q1 2020. The segment had a lower operating loss of Rs 25.79 crore in Q1 2021 as compared to an operating loss of Rs 36.83 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Read more stories on Balaji Telefilms

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Balaji

    Consolidated total income for Q1 2021 at Rs 40.79 crore was 56 percent lower y-o-y as compared to Rs 92.75 crore. Consolidated total expenses for Q1 2021 fell 48.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 69.57 crore from Rs 134.30 crore.

    Consolidated cost of production declined 69 percent in Q1 2021 to Rs 26.53 crore as compared to Rs 85.69 crore in Q1 2020. Consolidated marketing and distribution expenses in Q1 2021 declined 47.6 percent to Rs 6.07 crore from Rs 11.57 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Consolidated employee benefits expense in Q1 2021 declined 53.9 percent to Rs 5.52 crore from Rs 11.08 crore in Q1 2020. Consolidated other expenses in Q1 2020 reduced 32.9 percent to Rs 13.20 crore from Rs 19.68 crore in Q1 2020.

    Company speak

    Balaji Telefilms Limited managing director Shobha Kapoor said through a press release, “The quarter has been particularly challenging as all content production activity came to a stop. However, our digital businesses have performed well and we are well positioned to grow that business. We remain confident that our TV business will return to more normal levels of content production as our teams have adapted to shooting under the new rules following all health and safety requirements, we now have 6 shows on air and a couple more in the pipeline. We have initiated several cost optimisation programs during the quarter and should continue to see the benefits of these programs as content production volumes return.”

  • Balaji Telefilms operating profit up; ALT Balaji subs and revenue increase in FY 2020

    Balaji Telefilms operating profit up; ALT Balaji subs and revenue increase in FY 2020

    BENGALURU: The most successful television content and film production house in India, the Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa Kapoor-led Balaji Telefilms Ltd (Balaji) reported 34.1 percent growth in consolidated operating revenue at Rs 573.55 crore for the fiscal ended 31 March 2020 (FY 2020, year under review) as compared to the Rs 427.71 crore reported for the previous year (FY 2019). Consolidated operating revenue for the quarter ended 31 March 2020 (Q4 2020, quarter under review) also increased 21.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 107.68 crore from Rs 88.86 crore in Q4 2019. Consolidated loss of FY 2020 declined to Rs 58.96 crore from Rs 97.75 crore in FY 2019. The company reported lower consolidated loss of Rs 19.84 crore in Q4 2020 as compared to 27.97 crore in Q4 2019.

    Balaji reported having completed 823 hours of commissioned programmes in FY 2020 as compared to 763 hours in FY 2019. Slightly lower programming hours were completed in Q4 2020 – 198 hours as compared to 200.5 hours in the corresponding year ago quarter. The company had halted all production on 18 March 2020 on account of the COVID2019 pandemic.  The company said that the realisation per hour was lower in FY 2020 at Rs 0.37 crore per hour as compared to Rs 0.38 crore per hour in FY 2019 because of lower number of weekend shows. Realisation per hour in Q4 2020 at Rs 0.39 crore per hour was however higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 0.36 crore per hour in Q4 2019.

    On a consolidated basis, the company reported operating profit (Simple EBITDA) of Rs 10.73 crore in FY 2020 as compared to a consolidated operating loss (negative EBITDA) of Rs 105.11 crore in FY 2019. For Q4 2020 also, Balaji reported positive consolidated EBIDTA of Rs 39.58 crore as compared to a consolidated operating loss of Rs 33.24 crore in Q4 2019.

    ALT Balaji numbers

    Though it has yet to become profitable, Balaji’s OTT platform ALT Balaji operating revenue almost doubled (increased 85.1 percent) to Rs 77.49 crore in FY 2020 as compared to Rs 41.87 crore in FY 2019. The company reported lower operating loss for ALT Balaji at Rs 92.16 crore for FY 2020 as compared to an operating loss of Rs 120.81 crore for FY 2019. Balaji says that direct subscription revenue for ALT Balaji has grown over 100 percent year on year.

    ALT Balaji operating revenue increased 61.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 22.18 crore during Q4 2020 as compared to Rs 13.76 crore in Q4 2019. The company reported lower operating loss for ALT Balaji at Rs 14.44 crore for Q4 2020 as compared to an operating loss of Rs 31.75 crore for Q4 2019.

    Commissioned programmes

    Revenue from the company’s television programming (Commissioned programmes) increased 22.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 421.25 crore in FY 2020 as compared to Rs 344.02 crore in the previous year. Commissioned programmes business operating results increased 369.2 percent during FY 2020 to Rs 83.06 crore as compared to Rs 49.09 crore in the pervious year.

    Revenue from the company’s television programming (Commissioned programmes) increased 35.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 110.89 crore in Q4 2020 as compared to Rs 81.80 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. Commissioned programmes business operating results declined 3.5 percent during Q4 2020 to Rs 19.55 crore as compared to Rs 20.27 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Films segment

    Revenue from Balaji’s Films segment increased 69.2 percent in FY 2020 to Rs 172.40 crore from Rs 102.27 crore. Films segment operating results grew more than six-fold (grew 555.2 percent) at Rs 54.14 crore as compared to an operating profit of Rs 8.26 crore in FY 2019.

    Revenue from Balaji’s Films segment fell 43.8 percent y-o-y in Q4 2020 to Rs 5.46 crore from Rs 9.72 crore. Films segment operating results was more than three times higher (up 259.4 percent) at Rs 4.49 crore as compared to an operating profit of Rs 1.25 crore in Q4 2019.

    Some standalone numbers

    Standalone PAT for FY 2020 was 63 percent lower at Rs 21.77 crore as compared to Rs 58.87 crore in FY 2019. Balaji’s Standalone PAT for Q4 2020 and Q4 2019 was Rs 10.43 crore and Rs 2.18 crore respectively.

    Balaji’s standalone operating revenue for FY 2020 31 percent higher at Rs 567.63 crore as compared to Rs 438.67 crore in FY 2019. Standalone operating revenue for Q4 2020 and Q4 2019 was Rs 116.06 crore and Rs 82.12 crore respectively.

    Company speak

    Balaji Telefilms Limited managing director Shobha Kapoor said in the investor release, “This year has been one of the best year for Balaji Telefilms despite the partial impact of COVID-19 towards the end of March 2020. We continue to focus on creating good content and growing our digital platform. We are witnessing huge opportunity within the digital space due to COVID-19 and we are gearing ourselves to exploit this opportunity.”

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Balaji

    Consolidated total income for FY 2020 at Rs 582.16 crore was 26.7 percent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 459.48 crore. Consolidated total expenses for FY 2020 increased 9.7 percent to Rs 604.33 crore from Rs 1550.90 crore.

    Consolidated cost of production declined 12.6 percent FY 2020 to Rs 349.89 crore as compared to Rs 400.45 crore in FY 2019. Consolidated marketing and distribution expenses in FY 2020 increased 40.4 percent to Rs 60.56 crore from Rs 43.12 crore in the previous year. Consolidated employee benefits expense in FY 2020 declined 26.5 percent to Rs 36.45 crore from Rs 49.57 crore in FY 2019. Consolidated other expenses in FY 2020 increased 19.1 percent to Rs 76.42 crore from Rs 36.45 crore in FY 2019.

    Consolidated total income for Q4 2020 at Rs 106.09 crore was 9 percent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 97.29 crore. Consolidated total expenses for the quarter under review reduced 5.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 118.74 crore from Rs 125.76 crore.

    Consolidated cost of production declined 16.8 percent y-o-y in Q4 2020 to Rs 75.36 crore as compared to Rs 91.83 crore. Consolidated marketing and distribution expenses in Q4 2020 declined 40 percent y-o-y to Rs 5.01 crore from Rs 8.34 crore. Consolidated employee benefits expense in Q4 2020 declined 35.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 8.57 crore from Rs 13.22 crore. Consolidated other expenses in Q4 2020 reduced 27.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 20.17 crore from Rs 27.82 crore.

  • All segments rake in numbers for Balaji Telefilms, Alt Balaji numbers up

    All segments rake in numbers for Balaji Telefilms, Alt Balaji numbers up

    BENGALURU: One of the most successful television content production houses in India, the Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa Kapoor-led Balaji Telefilms Ltd (Balaji) reported growth in revenue from all its three segments for the quarter ended 31 December 2019 (Q3 2019, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter Q3 2019.  The company’s board of directors has declared an interim dividend of 20 percent or Rs 0.40 per share for the financial year 2019-20.

    In its investor presentation, the Balaji says that its TV Business contributes to 15 percent of prime-time ratings and that it is the number one production house by a wide margin. It had nine shows running through the quarter with two new launches, while two shows came to an end. The Indian drama series Yeh Hai Chahatein, a spin-off show based on Yeh Hai Mohabbatein was launched on Star Plus. The fourth season of the very popular supernatural series Naagin was launched on Viacom18’s flagship Hindi GEC Colors, replacing Kaavach 2. Also Balaji Telefilms released one new film – Dream Girl in Q3 2019.

    Balaji’s posted more than double (up 144.5 percent) y-o-y growth in standalone profit after tax or PAT for Q3 2019. Standalone revenue from operations increased 77.9 percent y-o-y in Q3 2020.

    Though it has yet to become profitable, Balaji’s OTT platform ALT Balaji operating revenue almost tripled (increased 187.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 23.14 crore during the period under review as compared to Rs 8.05 crore in Q3 2019. The company reported lower operating loss for ALT Balaji at Rs 12.27 crore for Q3 2020 as compared to an operating loss of Rs 32.95 crore for Q3 2019.

    Revenue from the company’s television programming increased 3.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 81.96 crore in Q3 2020 as compared to Rs 79.3 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. Revenue from Commissioned programmes segment increased 28.2 percent y-o-y in Q3 2020 to Rs 133.10 crore from Rs 103.79 crore in Q3 2019. Commissioned programmes business operating results increased by 56.2 percent during the period to Rs 27.94 crore as compared to Rs 17.89 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. Balaji produced 10.1 percent more programming hours during the quarter under review at 219 hours as compared to 199 hours in Q3 2019, but realisation per hour in Q3 2020 at Rs 0.37 crore was lower y-o-y as compared to Rs 0.40 crore in Q3 2019 according to the company’s investor presentation.

    Revenue from Balaji’s Films segment increased nine-fold (increased 800.4 percent) y-o-y in Q3 2020 to Rs 93.89 crore from Rs 25.33 crore. Films segment operating results was more than 70 times higher (up 6,978.9 percent) at Rs 33.50 crore as compared to an operating profit of Rs 0.43 crore in Q3 2019.

    Balaji’s standalone PAT for Q3 2020 and Q3 2019 was Rs 29.41 crore and Rs 12.02 crore respectively.  On a consolidated basis, the company reported PAT in Q3 2020 at Rs 13.83 crore as compared to a consolidated loss of Rs 27.31 crore in Q3 2019. Standalone EBITDA increased by 77.9 percent y-o-y in Q3 2020 to Rs 198.36 crore from Rs 111.50 crore.

    Standalone operating revenue for Q3 2020 and Q3 2019 was Rs 198.36 crore and Rs 111.50 crore respectively. Consolidated operating revenue in Q3 2020 increased 95 percent y-o-y to Rs 187.89 crore from Rs 96.33 crore.

    Company Speak

    Balaji Telefilms managing director Shobha Kapoor said in the investor release, ”This quarter we created good, compelling and entertaining content across all our business verticals and this has resulted in a very strong financial performance. Apart from driving the top line, we remain focused on cost-saving measures that allow us to leverage economies of scale in content production, yielding an improved bottom line. We will continue to focus on growing the business profitably and utilising our existing cash reserves prudently, as we have been doing.”

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Balaji

    Consolidated total income for Q3 2020 at Rs 190.68 crore was 81.1 percent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 105.30 crore. Consolidated total expenses for the period under review increased 25 percent y-o-y to Rs 192.58 crore from Rs 140.22 crore.

    Consolidated cost of production was almost flat (declined 0.9 percent) y-o-y in Q3 2020 to Rs 95.07 crore as compared to Rs 95.95 crore. Consolidated marketing and distribution expenses in Q3 2020 declined 37.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 6.76 crore from Rs 10.74 crore. Consolidated employee benefits expense in Q3 2020 declined 34.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 9.37 crore from Rs 14.25 crore. Consolidated other expenses in Q2 2020 increased 63 percent y-o-y to Rs 16.02 crore from Rs 9.83 crore.

  • Indian OTT audience: Young, urban and male-dominated

    Indian OTT audience: Young, urban and male-dominated

    MUMBAI: India has seen a healthy growth of OTT audience in the last few years. Yet, brands and OTT service providers know very little about the demographics of their fast-increasing audience. How many are they in number, where do they exist, how do they watch, which genres of content do they prefer, are all important questions that can help in decision-making in the areas of content selection, target audience choice, media planning, market research and brand communication.

    To fill this knowledge-gap, Ormax Media has released its OTT Audience Report: 2019, with a large sample size of 10,000 over the period of May-September 2019. The report puts the regular OTT (online video content) audience in India at 76.5 million. The study defined ‘regular OTT audience’ as someone who watched two or more hours of OTT content every week.

    While the report confirms many of our perceptions about the Indian OTT audience, it also throws many new and interesting facets of its demographics.

    The report finds that Mumbai and Delhi lead with 3 million regular OTT audience each, followed by Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Surat, Chennai, Pune & Jaipur.

    Earlier in June, a study by Counterpoint Research found that tier I cities bring in 36 per cent of the audience and the top five metros account for 55 per cent of OTT users in the country.

    The audience, however, is heavily male-dominated. As many as 66 per cent regular OTT audience are men while only 34 per cent are women. ALT Balaji’s GandiiBaat emerged as the most male-skewed show, while Amazon Prime Video’s Mind The Malhotras emerged as the most female-skewed show, the study finds.

    The OTT audience, expectedly, is also young. Nearly 60 per cent of the regular OTT audience is below the age of 30, 21 per cent are in the age group of 31-40 and 20 per cent in the 41+ age group.

    Among the OTT platforms, YouTube emerged as the most-preferred OTT brand, followed by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar closely vying for the second position.

    The report also highlights how solo consumption is still the dominant viewing behaviour seen in the OTT category, with 82 per cent audience typically watching online videos alone. Hindi emerges as the most preferred language of online video consumption at 62 per cent, followed by English at 22 per cent, while regional languages, led by Telugu and Tamil, control the balance 16 per cent share.

    Speaking about The Ormax OTT Audience Report: 2019, Ormax Media CEO Shailesh Kapoor said: “OTT is an emerging and fast-growing category in India. While individual platforms have a lot of data on their own audience, there is little industry-wide understanding available on who the OTT audience in India exactly is, how many are they in number, where do they exist, how do they watch, which genres do they prefer, what are their subscription triggers, and many other such questions that are extremely relevant to any OTT business. This report, which will be an annual feature, answers many such questions in a manner that’s highly actionable.”

  • Production rakes in numbers for Balaji Telefilms; Alt Balaji numbers up

    Production rakes in numbers for Balaji Telefilms; Alt Balaji numbers up

    BENGALURU: One of the most successful television content production houses in India, the Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa Kapoor-led Balaji Telefilms Ltd (Balaji) reported more than double standalone profit after tax or PAT (up 117.6 percent) y-o-y for the quarter ended 30 September 2019 (Q2 2019, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter Q2 2019. Standalone revenue from operations increased 58.7 percent y-o-y in Q2 2020. Though it has yet to become profitable, Balaji’s OTT platform ALTBalaji operating revenue increased 40.8 percent y-o-y at Rs 20.11 crore during the period under review as compared to Rs 14.28 crore in Q2 2019. The company reported an operating loss for ALT Balaji at Rs 28.71 crore for Q2 2020 as compared to an operating loss of Rs 23.23 crore for Q2 2019.

    Balaji’s Standalone PAT for Q2 2020 and Q2 2019 was Rs 15.50 crore and Rs 7.12 crore respectively. The company incurred a lower consolidated loss in Q2 2020 at Rs 10.73 crore as compared to a consolidated loss of Rs 15.44 crore in Q2 2019. Standalone EBITDA almost quintupled (increased by 389.5 percent y-o-y in Q2 2020 to Rs 30.83 crore from Rs 6.30 crore.

    Standalone operating revenue for Q2 2020 and Q2 2019 was Rs 179.35 crore and Rs 119.07 crore respectively. Consolidated operating revenue in Q2 2020 increased 57.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 187.46 crore from Rs 119.07 crore.

    Though Balaji produced more programming hours during the quarter under review at 210.5 hours as compared to 193 hours in Q2 2019, lower realisation per hour in Q2 2020 at Rs 0.36 crore as compared to Rs 0.40 crore in Q2 2019 resulted in a revenue decline according to the company’s investor presentation. Revenue from the company’s television business declined 1.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 75.6 crore in Q2 2020 as compared to Rs 77.1 crore in Q2 2019.

    Consolidated operating revenue in Q2 2020 increased 57.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 187.46 crore from Rs 119.07 crore. Revenue from commissioned programmes declined 4.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 84.29 crore from Rs 88.42 crore. Operating profit  for Commissioned Programmes segment almost doubled (up 98.4 percent) y-o-y to Rs 25.89 crore from Rs 13.05 crore.

    Revenue from Films segment almost quadrupled (increased 270.7 percent) y-o-y in Q2 2020 to Rs 93.89 crore from Rs 25.33 crore. Films segment reported operating profit of Rs 16.25 crore as compared to an operating profit of Rs 1.32 crore in Q2 2019.

    Company Speak

    Balaji Telefilms managing director Shobha Kapoor said in the investor release, ”This quarter we created good, compelling and entertaining content across all our business verticals and this has resulted in a very strong financial performance. Apart from driving the top line, we remain focused on cost-saving measures that allow us to leverage economies of scale in content production, yielding an improved bottom line. We will continue to focus on growing the business profitably and utilising our existing cash reserves prudently, as we have been doing.”

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Balaji

    Consolidated total income for Q2 2020 at Rs 192.63 crore was 53.2 percent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 125.76 crore. Consolidated total expenses for the period under review increased 37.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 192.58 crore from Rs 140.22 crore.

    Consolidated cost of production declined 5.9 percent y-o-y in Q2 2020 to Rs 92.76 crore from Rs 98.57 crore. Consolidated marketing and distribution expenses in Q2 2020 more than tripled (up 233.6 percent) y-o-y to Rs 37.22 crore from Rs 11.16 crore. Consolidated employee benefits expense in Q2 2020 declined 50.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 6.53 crore from Rs 13.08 crore. Consolidated other expenses in Q2 2020 increased 96.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 20.56 crore from Rs 10.48 crore.