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Tag: Chhattisgarh

  • Q1-17: Infrastructure leasing segment pulls down Ortel’s numbers

    Q1-17: Infrastructure leasing segment pulls down Ortel’s numbers

    BENGALURU: The Bibhu Prasad Rath led regional cable television and broadband internet player Ortel Communications Limited (Ortel) reported less than one third  ( 1/3.6 times) profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q1-17, current quarter). Ortel reported PAT in Q1-17 at Rs 0.86 crore (1.6 percent margin) as compared to Rs 3.05 crore (7.5 percent margin) in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The improved performance by company’s cable and broadband segments were pulled down by the lower execution of the company’s Infrastructure Leasing segment. Cable TV and broadband segments are the major contributors to Ortel’s numbers.

    Ortel provides services in the Indian states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

    Ortel’s Total Income from Operations (TIO) increased 29.1 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) in the current year to Rs 52.42 crore as compared to Rs 40.60 crore in Q1-16. TIO declined marginally (declined 1.6 percent) quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) from Rs 53.28 crore in Q4-16.

    Company speak:

    Ortel President and CEO Rath said, “We have begun the year on a positive note with healthy results in our Cable Television and Broadband segments. This is reflected in the revenues which grew y-o-y by 45 percent and 26 percent respectively in Q1-17. I am also pleased to highlight that the total subscriber addition stood strong at 68,949 during the quarter taking our total subscriber base to 770,141. Our profitability however was impacted during the period under review primarily due to lower quarterly execution in the  Infrastructure Leasing business. Going forward I expect Infrastructure Leasing business to return back to normalcy in the coming quarters as execution picks up.

    Revenue breakup

    Cable TV revenue in Q1-17 increased 44.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 41.20 crore from Rs 28.43 crore in Q1-16 and increased 5.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 39.14 crore.

    Cable TV Activation fees or connection fees in Q1-17 were  almost 7 times at Rs 4.6 crore as compared to Rs 0.7 crore in Q1-16, but declined 23.8 percent q-o-q from Rs 6 crore. Cable TV subscription revenue in Q1-17 increased 38.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 27.7 crore from Rs 20 crore and increased 11.5 percent q-o-q from Rs 24.8 crore. Channel carriage fees in the current quarter increased 14.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 8.9 crore from Rs 7.8 crore and increased 7.8 percent q-o-q from Rs 8.3 crore.

    Broadband services revenue in Q1-17 increased 26 percent to Rs 9.5 crore from Rs 7.5 crore in Q1-16 and increased 6.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 8.9 crore. Internet connection fees in Q1-17 increased 13.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 0.7 crore from Rs 0.6 crore and increased 1.6 percent q-o-q. Internet subscription fees in Q1-17 increased 27 percent y-o-y to Rs 8.8 crore from Rs 7 crore and increased 6.6 percent q-o-q from Rs 8.3 crore.

    Ortel’s revenue from its infrastructure leasing segment in Q1-17 declined 75.4 percent to Rs 10 crore from Rs3.9 crore in Q1-16 and declined 78.4 percent q-o-q from Rs 4.4 crore.

    On a geographical basis, in the current quarter, revenue from Ortel’c core market – Odisha increased 13.9 percent to Rs 42.2 crore from Rs 37.1 crore but declined 5.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 44.6 crore. EBIDTA from the Odisha region in Q1-17 increased 5.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 17.2 crore from Rs 16.3 crore but declined 14.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 20.1 crore

    Revenue from Ortel’s Emerging Markets (Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and West Bengal) more than tripled (3.2 times) y-o-y to Rs 9.7 crore in q1-17 from Rs 3 crore and increased 15.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 8.4 crore. Emerging markets reported lower negative EBIDTA in Q1-17 at Rs 0.7 crore as compared to a negative EIDTA of Rs 1 crore in Q1-16  and same as the negative EBIDTA of Rs 0.7 crore in Q4-16.

    Subscription numbers (revenue generating units – RGUs’), ARPU

    During the current quarter, the total subscribers (both cable and television) stood at 770,141 subscribers. Net addition in Q1-17 stood at 68,949 as compared to 74,717 subscriber additions in Q4-16. Percentage of digital TV subscribers in Q1-17 increased to 43.6 from 37.1 in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Television ARPU’s have been falling. Analog and Digital TV ARPU stood as Rs. 141 per month and Rs. 169 per month respectively. Digital ARPU in Q1-16 was Rs 185 and in Q4-16, it was Rs 178.

    The company added 5,124 broadband subscribers in Q1-17, taking its total broadband subscriber count to 77.609.

    Broadband ARPU in the current quarter increased to Rs 401 from Rs 393 in Q1-16 and Rs 398 in Q4-16.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Ortel in brief.

    Higher y-o-y total expenses (TE) in Q1-17 have also resulted in the lower PAT numbers for Q1-17 vis-à-vis Q1-16. Ortel’s TE in the current quarter increased 33.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 45.86 crore (87.5 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 34.42 crore (84.8 percent of TIO), and increased 2.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 44.82 crore (84.1 percent of TIO).

    Programming cost in Q1-17 came in higher at Rs. 10 crore. Employee expenses during the current quarter stood higher y-o-y at Rs. 6.22 crore. EBITDA in Q1-17 (including other income) came in at Rs. 12.51 crore, representing a q-o-q decline of 6.1 percent.

    Note: The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:

    (a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.

    (b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.

  • Q1-17: Infrastructure leasing segment pulls down Ortel’s numbers

    Q1-17: Infrastructure leasing segment pulls down Ortel’s numbers

    BENGALURU: The Bibhu Prasad Rath led regional cable television and broadband internet player Ortel Communications Limited (Ortel) reported less than one third  ( 1/3.6 times) profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q1-17, current quarter). Ortel reported PAT in Q1-17 at Rs 0.86 crore (1.6 percent margin) as compared to Rs 3.05 crore (7.5 percent margin) in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The improved performance by company’s cable and broadband segments were pulled down by the lower execution of the company’s Infrastructure Leasing segment. Cable TV and broadband segments are the major contributors to Ortel’s numbers.

    Ortel provides services in the Indian states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

    Ortel’s Total Income from Operations (TIO) increased 29.1 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) in the current year to Rs 52.42 crore as compared to Rs 40.60 crore in Q1-16. TIO declined marginally (declined 1.6 percent) quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) from Rs 53.28 crore in Q4-16.

    Company speak:

    Ortel President and CEO Rath said, “We have begun the year on a positive note with healthy results in our Cable Television and Broadband segments. This is reflected in the revenues which grew y-o-y by 45 percent and 26 percent respectively in Q1-17. I am also pleased to highlight that the total subscriber addition stood strong at 68,949 during the quarter taking our total subscriber base to 770,141. Our profitability however was impacted during the period under review primarily due to lower quarterly execution in the  Infrastructure Leasing business. Going forward I expect Infrastructure Leasing business to return back to normalcy in the coming quarters as execution picks up.

    Revenue breakup

    Cable TV revenue in Q1-17 increased 44.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 41.20 crore from Rs 28.43 crore in Q1-16 and increased 5.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 39.14 crore.

    Cable TV Activation fees or connection fees in Q1-17 were  almost 7 times at Rs 4.6 crore as compared to Rs 0.7 crore in Q1-16, but declined 23.8 percent q-o-q from Rs 6 crore. Cable TV subscription revenue in Q1-17 increased 38.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 27.7 crore from Rs 20 crore and increased 11.5 percent q-o-q from Rs 24.8 crore. Channel carriage fees in the current quarter increased 14.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 8.9 crore from Rs 7.8 crore and increased 7.8 percent q-o-q from Rs 8.3 crore.

    Broadband services revenue in Q1-17 increased 26 percent to Rs 9.5 crore from Rs 7.5 crore in Q1-16 and increased 6.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 8.9 crore. Internet connection fees in Q1-17 increased 13.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 0.7 crore from Rs 0.6 crore and increased 1.6 percent q-o-q. Internet subscription fees in Q1-17 increased 27 percent y-o-y to Rs 8.8 crore from Rs 7 crore and increased 6.6 percent q-o-q from Rs 8.3 crore.

    Ortel’s revenue from its infrastructure leasing segment in Q1-17 declined 75.4 percent to Rs 10 crore from Rs3.9 crore in Q1-16 and declined 78.4 percent q-o-q from Rs 4.4 crore.

    On a geographical basis, in the current quarter, revenue from Ortel’c core market – Odisha increased 13.9 percent to Rs 42.2 crore from Rs 37.1 crore but declined 5.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 44.6 crore. EBIDTA from the Odisha region in Q1-17 increased 5.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 17.2 crore from Rs 16.3 crore but declined 14.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 20.1 crore

    Revenue from Ortel’s Emerging Markets (Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and West Bengal) more than tripled (3.2 times) y-o-y to Rs 9.7 crore in q1-17 from Rs 3 crore and increased 15.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 8.4 crore. Emerging markets reported lower negative EBIDTA in Q1-17 at Rs 0.7 crore as compared to a negative EIDTA of Rs 1 crore in Q1-16  and same as the negative EBIDTA of Rs 0.7 crore in Q4-16.

    Subscription numbers (revenue generating units – RGUs’), ARPU

    During the current quarter, the total subscribers (both cable and television) stood at 770,141 subscribers. Net addition in Q1-17 stood at 68,949 as compared to 74,717 subscriber additions in Q4-16. Percentage of digital TV subscribers in Q1-17 increased to 43.6 from 37.1 in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Television ARPU’s have been falling. Analog and Digital TV ARPU stood as Rs. 141 per month and Rs. 169 per month respectively. Digital ARPU in Q1-16 was Rs 185 and in Q4-16, it was Rs 178.

    The company added 5,124 broadband subscribers in Q1-17, taking its total broadband subscriber count to 77.609.

    Broadband ARPU in the current quarter increased to Rs 401 from Rs 393 in Q1-16 and Rs 398 in Q4-16.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Ortel in brief.

    Higher y-o-y total expenses (TE) in Q1-17 have also resulted in the lower PAT numbers for Q1-17 vis-à-vis Q1-16. Ortel’s TE in the current quarter increased 33.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 45.86 crore (87.5 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 34.42 crore (84.8 percent of TIO), and increased 2.3 percent q-o-q from Rs 44.82 crore (84.1 percent of TIO).

    Programming cost in Q1-17 came in higher at Rs. 10 crore. Employee expenses during the current quarter stood higher y-o-y at Rs. 6.22 crore. EBITDA in Q1-17 (including other income) came in at Rs. 12.51 crore, representing a q-o-q decline of 6.1 percent.

    Note: The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:

    (a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.

    (b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.

  • Hathway CCN to launch 48 HD channels in Chhattisgarh

    Hathway CCN to launch 48 HD channels in Chhattisgarh

    MUMBAI: Hathway CCN will be setting up a digital head-end in the state of Chhattisgarh and becoming one of the first MSOs in the country to launch and offer 48 HD channels to digital cable subscribers across the entire state.

    Hathway CCN, which has major, dominant operations across Chhattisgarh, will be offering a wide array of digital services and channels through the new head-end which would provide high-quality and best in class experience to its cable subscribers.

    Speaking on the launch of the new digital head-end,  Hathway CCN director Abhishek Agrawal  said, “This is the first amongst the many digital head-ends which will be installed across Chhattisgarh and the re-distribution of 48 HD channels is yet another progressive step taken by us to express our commitment and dedication to offering the best entertainment to our consumers. As an organization, we are continuously working and reinventing our services to match the growing demands of our subscribers.”

    At a time, when MSOs across the country are working aggressively towards completion of the digitization mandates, such initiatives are a welcome move across stakeholders, subscribers, LCOs, broadcasters and will strengthen and boost consumer confidence as they seek cutting-edge entertainment experience from digital cable.

    Agrawal further added, “We understand the dynamics of committing to such services, especially, when we serve multiple locations from one head-end, but this is the need of the hour to remain competitive and grow. Next in line, would be our value added and high speed broadband services which will provide a potent combination of entertainment services to our consumers.”

    As the cable industry moves towards the end of the digitization phase, providing strong, digital quality entertainment to subscribers would be the big move that will make the industry take the next leap.

  • Hathway CCN to launch 48 HD channels in Chhattisgarh

    Hathway CCN to launch 48 HD channels in Chhattisgarh

    MUMBAI: Hathway CCN will be setting up a digital head-end in the state of Chhattisgarh and becoming one of the first MSOs in the country to launch and offer 48 HD channels to digital cable subscribers across the entire state.

    Hathway CCN, which has major, dominant operations across Chhattisgarh, will be offering a wide array of digital services and channels through the new head-end which would provide high-quality and best in class experience to its cable subscribers.

    Speaking on the launch of the new digital head-end,  Hathway CCN director Abhishek Agrawal  said, “This is the first amongst the many digital head-ends which will be installed across Chhattisgarh and the re-distribution of 48 HD channels is yet another progressive step taken by us to express our commitment and dedication to offering the best entertainment to our consumers. As an organization, we are continuously working and reinventing our services to match the growing demands of our subscribers.”

    At a time, when MSOs across the country are working aggressively towards completion of the digitization mandates, such initiatives are a welcome move across stakeholders, subscribers, LCOs, broadcasters and will strengthen and boost consumer confidence as they seek cutting-edge entertainment experience from digital cable.

    Agrawal further added, “We understand the dynamics of committing to such services, especially, when we serve multiple locations from one head-end, but this is the need of the hour to remain competitive and grow. Next in line, would be our value added and high speed broadband services which will provide a potent combination of entertainment services to our consumers.”

    As the cable industry moves towards the end of the digitization phase, providing strong, digital quality entertainment to subscribers would be the big move that will make the industry take the next leap.

  • Network18’s News18.com re-branded as Pradesh.com

    Network18’s News18.com re-branded as Pradesh.com

    MUMBAI: Network18’s English news portal targeting global audiences – News18.com, has been re-branded as Pradesh18.com.

    The new portal will be available in five regional languages and bring news content from the heart of India with a dynamic, responsive website, which will cater to readers across languages and regions.

    Touting it as News18 2.0, Pradesh18 will be a more refined and improved version of Network18’s hyper-local website.

    The Pradesh18.com website will be dedicated to the eight Hindi speaking states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana.

    Manned 24×7, Pradesh18.com is powered by ETV journalists as well as by Network18’s team of news professionals.

    The website’s user friendly interface gives a unique experience of live 24X7 news straight from the TV sets to laptops and mobile screens.

  • Network18’s News18.com re-branded as Pradesh.com

    Network18’s News18.com re-branded as Pradesh.com

    MUMBAI: Network18’s English news portal targeting global audiences – News18.com, has been re-branded as Pradesh18.com.

    The new portal will be available in five regional languages and bring news content from the heart of India with a dynamic, responsive website, which will cater to readers across languages and regions.

    Touting it as News18 2.0, Pradesh18 will be a more refined and improved version of Network18’s hyper-local website.

    The Pradesh18.com website will be dedicated to the eight Hindi speaking states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana.

    Manned 24×7, Pradesh18.com is powered by ETV journalists as well as by Network18’s team of news professionals.

    The website’s user friendly interface gives a unique experience of live 24X7 news straight from the TV sets to laptops and mobile screens.

  • MIB updates areas in 7 states & 1 UT to be covered in DAS Phase III

    MIB updates areas in 7 states & 1 UT to be covered in DAS Phase III

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) today further updated the urban areas to be covered in seven states and one union territory during Phase III of the Digital Addressable System (DAS) to be completed by the end of this year.

     

    This is in addition to the 16 states for which upgradation was announced on 16 October.

     

    The seven states are: Andhra Pradesh; Chhattisgarh; Jammu & Kashmir; Kerala; Madhya Pradesh; Manipur and Telengana, and the Union Territory of Daman & Diu.

     

    Earlier last month, the states and union territories where changes were made were: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Punjab, Tripura, Uttarakahd, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar, and Puducherry.

     

    MIB’s updated list with regard to these states and UTs also indicates areas that have been deleted and those which have been added, apart from the number of television households to be covered in each case.

     

    The changes have been made on the basis of reports of empowered officers in each state.

     

    The list does not contain areas covered in the first two phases.

     

    The list of areas to be covered in Phase III had been issued on 30 April this year.

  • Q2-2016: Ortel YoY revenue up 24.6 percent, PAT more than doubles

    Q2-2016: Ortel YoY revenue up 24.6 percent, PAT more than doubles

    BENGALURU: The Bibhu Prasad Rath-headed regional cable television and broadband internet player Ortel Communications Ltd  (Ortel) has reported a 24.6 percent growth in revenue from operations (TIO) at Rs 45.79 crore as in the quarter ended 30 September 2015 (Q2-2016, current quarter) as compared to the Rs 36.74 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. TIO in the current quarter was also higher by 12.8 percent as compared to the Rs 40.6 crore in the immediate trailing quarter. Ortel provides services in the Indian states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal,

     

    Notes: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

    The numbers mentioned in this report are standalone.

     

    The company reported more than a doubling of PAT (up 2.3 times) to Rs 2.83 crore (5.9 percent margin) as compared to the Rs 1.23 crore (3 percent margin) in Q2-2015, and 15.9 percent more than the Rs 2.44 crore (5.7 percent margin) in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Ortel President and CEO Rath said, “I am glad to report a strong operational and financial performance for the quarter ended   September 30, 2015. Performance during the quarter was driven by healthy addition in revenue generating units (RGUs) which stood at 571,834. We are witnessing encouraging traction to our LCO buyout strategy in emerging markets like Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and I am confident that this would sustain going forward. Going forward, we would continue with our strategy of aggressive LCO buyouts across all our markets and diligently integrate the new  subscribers into Ortel’s last mile network. Healthy contribution from new RGUs along with ongoing focus on the high margin Broadband business would enable us to deliver strong financial performance in the forthcoming years.”

     

    The company’s EBIDTA (TIO plus Depreciation and Amortisation plus Other Income plus Fixed assets written off minus Total Expenditure) increased 31.3 percent to Rs 17.29 crore (37.8 percent margin) in the current quarter as compared to the Rs 13.17 crore (35.8 percent margin) and increased 8.8 percent as compared to the Rs 15.89 crore (39.1 percent margin) in Q1-2016.

     

    Ortel’s YoY RGUs grew 9.2 percent to 571,834 in Q2-2016 from 523,833 in Q2-2015 and increased 5.5 percent from 542,217 in Q1-2016.

     

    Cable TV RGUs’ increased 9 percent in Q2-2016 to 508,171 from 466,305 in Q2-2015 and grew 5.6 percent from 481,317 in Q1-2016.

    Ortel’s YoY primary digital cable RGUs grew 33.2 percent to 117,401 in Q2-2016 from 88,106 and grew QoQ to 4.5 percent from 112,296 in Q1-2016. Analogue cable RGUs’ increased to 330,739 from 322,175 in Q2-2015 and from 307,923 in Q1-2016. The company says that its Cable TV penetration stood at 23.7 percent and penetration in select 10 towns where company offers digital services stands at 71 percent.

     

    Broadband customers grew 8.9 percent to 63,663 in the current quarter from 57,528 in Q2-2015 and grew 4.5 percent from 60,900 in Q1-2016.

     

    The company has reported a slight drop in digital and analogue cable and broadband ARPUs’ in the current quarter. Digital cable ARPU in Q2-2016 was Rs 183 in Q2-2016; Rs 187 in Q2-2015 and Rs 185 in Q1-2016. Analogue cable ARPU in Q2-2016 was Rs 143; in Q2-2015 it was Rs 147 and in Q1-2016, it was Rs 144. Broadband ARPU in Q2-2016 was Rs 183, in Q2-2015, it was Rs 187 and in Q1-2016, it was Rs 185.

     

     

    Cable Subscription, Connection and Channel carriage fees

     

    The company’s cable subscription fees in Q2-2016 increased 4 percent to Rs 20.6 crore as compared to the Rs 19.8 crore in Q2-2015 and increased 3 percent as compared to the Rs 20 crore in Q1-2016. Connection fees declined to Rs 0.70 crore in the current quarter from Rs 1.1 crore in Q2-2015 and remained flat as compared to the Rs 0.7 crore in Q1-2015.Channel carriage fees in the current quarter increased 44.9 percent to Rs 9.7 crore from Rs 6.7 crore in Q2-2015 and increased 23.8 percent from Rs 7.8 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Ortel

     

    Total Expenditure in Q2-2016 increased 13.3 percent to Rs 38.72 crore as compared to Rs 34.17 crore in Q2-2015 and increased 12.5 percent as compared to the Rs 34.42 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    The company’s Programming cost in the current quarter increased 7.2 percent to Rs 9.44 crore from Rs 8.81 crore in Q2-2015 and increased 5.9 percent from Rs 8.91 crore in Q1-2016.

     

    Bandwidth cost in Q2-2016 increased 19.3 percent to Rs 1.92 crore from Rs 1.61 crore in Q2-2015 and increased 7.9 percent from Rs 1.78 crore in Q1-2016.

     

    Employee Benefits Expense in the current quarter increased 45.5 percent to Rs 5.64 crore as compared to the Rs 3.88 crore in Q2-2015 and was 15.4 percent more than the Rs 4.89 crore in Q1-2016.

     

    Last quarter, Ortel announced that it had introduced free broadband option for all Ortel Cable TV subscribers in the states of Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh as a complimentary special value added service in order to target to deeper penetrate into markets by making internet affordable. Ortel says that its offer includes a free data limit every month for a year. The subscriber will be charged a nominal amount after exceeding the free data usage for the month.

  • Network18 launches India’s local news portal www.News18.com

    Network18 launches India’s local news portal www.News18.com

    MUMBAI: News from India goes deeply local in the latest online news website from Network18: News18.com. India’s first web, mobile and tablet service to focus on news at the state and city level, News18.com was launched on January 26.  

    Available on the web, on mobile phones and tablets, and as downloadable apps for iOS and Android devices, News18.com currently covers seven states: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It will expand to the remaining states of the country over the next 18 months.

    News18.com draws on the unparallelled local news-­gathering expertise of the ETV network of news channels, whose Hindi services cover these seven states. The deep reach of ETV News into every corner of these states generates a rich and unique stream of news, updated by the minute.

    People can now follow all of these news reports, in the form of engaging video clips, instant updates, and snappy text stories, on News18.com. Local news will break fast – and first -­ on News18.com, and in-­depth coverage of local developments and issues will keep users fully informed about their home state and city.

    Highlighting the importance of local news, Lakshmi Narasimhan CEO, Web18 said, “News18 is a completely fresh approach to covering news online. With Internet penetration and smartphones users galloping in tier 2 & 3 towns, it is important to provide a convenient platform to consume news. This is the information century, with content consumption at an all time high. For somebody living in Bihar or Rajasthan it is no longer sufficient to simply know what is happening in Delhi. News18 brings you closer to your world and gets you news that truly matters to you.”

    Arunava Sinha, Head, IBNLive.com & News18.com is confident that readers will enjoy the interactive user-­experience of the site. “News18.com will give readers a totally fresh and unique content experience. Watching live TV on the mobile and on the dektop, keeping track of the latest developments through live tickers and smart app alerts, sharing the news of one’s choice with friends on Facebook and Twitter – users will be able to do it all.”

    By taking local news beyond its borders and making it available everywhere, News18.com turns the local into the national and international. And with its availability of computers, tablets and mobiles – the first online news offering from India to be available on all three devices from day one – it brings local news within easy reach of people wherever they are.

     
    The Network18 Group is a media and entertainment company with interests in television, Internet, films, e-­commerce, magazines, mobile content and allied businesses. Through its subsidiary ‘TV18 Broadcast Ltd.’ [BSE: 532800, NSE: TV18BRDCST], the group operates news channels -­ CNBC-­TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC-­TV18 Prime HD, CNN-­IBN, IBN7 and IBN-­Lokmat (a Marathi regional news channel in partnership with the Lokmat group). TV18 also operates a joint venture with Viacom, called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of popular entertainment channels – Colors, Colors HD, MTV, Comedy Central, Vh1, Nick, Sonic, Nick Jr./Teen Nick and Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the group’s filmed entertainment business.

    TV18 has also forayed into the Indian factual entertainment space through A+E Networks | TV18 (a joint venture between A+E Networks and TV18 Broadcast) and operates HistoryTV18. TV18 and Viacom18 have also formed a strategic joint venture called IndiaCast, a multi-­platform ‘content asset monetization’ entity that drives domestic and international channel distribution, placement services and content syndication for the bouquet of channels from TV18, Viacom18 and other broadcasters. Through ‘Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.’ [BSE: 532798, NSE: Network18], the group operates its digital, publishing and e-­commerce assets including moneycontrol.com, ibnlive.com, in.com and firstpost.com.

    ‘Network18’ also operates e-­commerce properties like HomeShop18 and bookmyshow.com and publishes Forbes India, the nation’s first local edition of a foreign news magazine title, in collaboration with Forbes Media. In addition, through ‘Network18’, the group operates Network18 Publishing, a player in the special interest publishing space. ‘Network18’ has investments in Yatra, Stargaze and other Capital18 portfolio companies.

     

  • Election Commission to allot time to five state assemblies for poll broadcast on DD, AIR

    Election Commission to allot time to five state assemblies for poll broadcast on DD, AIR

    NEW DELHI: All India Radio and Doordarshan, which provides a platform to political parties for their poll broadcasts before election, will also organise panel discussions or debates at the Kendras/Stations for the forthcoming elections, for the state assemblies of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

    The eligible party can nominate one representative for this programme, but only the Election Commission of India will approve the names of coordinators for the panel discussion and debates in consultation with the Prasar Bharati Corporation.

    The Commission, in the previous years, has worked out a schedule to provide different time slots for poll broadcasts to different parties.

    Only the ‘national parties’ and ‘recognised state parties’ will be eligible to avail the facility of the broadcast and telecast time.

    A base time of 45 minutes will be given to each party uniformly on the Regional Kendras  of  Doordarshan network and All India Radio network in the States/UT of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and NCT of Delhi. The additional time to be allotted to the parties has been decided on the basis of the poll performance of the parties in the last assembly election. The facilities will be available at the Regional Kendra of the All India Radio and Doordarshan in the states and then will be relayed by other stations within the states.

    In a single session of broadcast, no party will be allotted more than 15 minutes.

    The period of broadcast and telecast will be between the last days of filing the nominations and will end two days prior to the date of the poll. However, there will be no telecast or broadcast during the 48 hours before the polls close, as per specific provisions of the Representation of People Act, 1951.

    Prasar Bharati, in consultation with the Commission, will decide the actual date and time for broadcast and telecast. This will be subject to the broad technical constraints governing the actual time of transmission available with the Doordarshan and All India Radio.

    The guidelines prescribed by the Commission for telecast and broadcast will be strictly followed. The parties will be required to submit transcripts and recording in advance. The parties can get this recorded at their own cost in studios that meets the technical standards prescribed by Prasar Bharati, or at the Doordarshan/All India Radio Kendras.

     

    Alternatively, they can have these recorded in the studios of Doordarshan and All India Radio by advance requests. In such cases, the recordings may be done at the State Capital and at timings indicated by Doordarshan/All India Radio.

    Time Vouchers will be available in the denomination of five minutes with one voucher having time allotment from one to four minutes. The parties will be free to combine them suitably.

    Introduced for the first time for the Lok Sabha elections in 1998, the scheme of free broadcasts was extended by the Commission to the State Assemblies held after 1998 and General Elections to the Lok Sabha in 1999, 2004 and 2009.

    With the amendments in the Representation of People Act 1951, “Election and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2003”, and the rules notified in that, equitable time sharing for campaigning by recognised political parties on electronic media now has statutory basis.

    In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of the Explanation below section 39A of the Representation of People Act, 1951, the Central Government has notified all such broadcasting media that are owned or controlled or financed wholly or substantially by funds provided to them by the Central Government, as the electronic media for the purposes of that section. Therefore, the Commission has decided to extend the said scheme of equitable time sharing on electronic media through Prasar Bharati Corporation to the ensuing General Elections to the State Legislative Assemblies.