ITV

Tag: CNN-IBN

  • IBN18 Q3 standalone net loss at Rs 109.6 mn

    IBN18 Q3 standalone net loss at Rs 109.6 mn

    MUMBAI: IBN18 Broadcast Ltd has posted a standalone net loss of Rs 109.63 million for the quarter ended 31 December, marginally up from a net loss of Rs 104.05 million in the year-ago period.

    The standalone results constitute the financials of English and Hindi news channels CNN IBN and IBN7.

    For the quarter under review, total income increased 24.47 per cent to Rs 585.03 million. The company managed to keep the expenses under check at Rs 525.98 million, as compared to Rs 533.32 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

    In the quarter, IBN18 has reported operating profit of Rs 59.05 million, as compared to an operating loss of Rs 63.30 million in the prior-year period.

    The company said in a statement that CNN IBN managed a 48 per cent Q-o-Q revenue growth, while IBN7 has seen a jump of 39 per cent in revenue. It also said that the Hindi news channel has achieved EBITDA break-even during the quarter.

    IBN18’s consolidated net loss stood at Rs 106.06 million. Total income was at Rs 1.94 billion, while expenditure stood at Rs 1.85 billion for the quarter.

  • IBN18 Q2 standalone net loss at Rs 598.7 mn

    IBN18 Q2 standalone net loss at Rs 598.7 mn

    MUMBAI: IBN18 Broadcast Ltd widened its standalone net loss to Rs 598.66 million for the quarter ending September. The company had posted a net loss of Rs 175.76 million in the year-ago period.

    The standalone results constitute the financials of CNN IBN and IBN7.

    For the quarter under review, total income fell 12 per cent to Rs 408.46 million, as against Rs 464.48 million a year ago. Expenses were at Rs 574.56 million, up marginally by 2.13 per cent.

    The company incurred exceptional expenses of Rs 296.74 million, as option premium paid by IBN18 through its wholly owned subsidiary which had been written off as impairment.

    Operating loss widened to Rs 166.10 million in the quarter, as compared to Rs 98.09 million in the prior-year period.

    IBN18’s consolidated net loss stood at Rs 823.68 million. Total income was at Rs 1.37 billion, while expenditure stood at Rs 1.73 billion for the quarter.

  • NewsX beefs up top rung

    NewsX beefs up top rung

    MUMBAI: NewsX, the Indi Media-owned English news channel, has made key appointments at the top rung as part of its revamp plan.

    While the channel has roped in former Triveni Media CEO Rahul Kulshreshtha as consultant for technical operations, it has also brought on board Shamya DasGupta as sports editor.

    During Kulshreshtha’s tenure at Triveni Media, the company had launched the Hindi news channel Voice of India. He has also worked with TV Today as director technology and operations.

    DasGupta, meanwhile, moves in from Headlines Today, where he was working in the same capacity. Prior to Headlines Today, DasGupta has worked with the Indian Express, Tehelka, and ESPN.

    Additionally, Nitin Sukhija, who was earlier with IBN7, has been appointed as entertainment and lifestyle editor in Mumbai and Monica Malik has joined as executive producer. As part of her new mandate, she will be responsible for news production and packaging of the channel. Prior to this, she was at NDTV as senior news producer.

    Also, Sukarno Sen has joined as Kolkata bureau chief. Prior to NewsX, he has worked with CNN-IBN, IBN7 and Zee News.

    Said a channel spokesperson, “This is an important milestone for NewsX and part of our strategy of incrementally but continuously strengthening our leadership team. At NewsX, it’s our endeavour to deliver news and programmes that are informative, engaging and timely. The recent hiring will give a strong leadership to the team which has been delivering fresh content and programming.”

    Recently, NewsX got VK Shashikumar on board as head of special investigations and news programming, Nandita Kumar as GM strategy and planning, and Sanjay Singh as resident editor Mumbai.

  • CNN IBN launches next gen show ‘Y Not’

    CNN IBN launches next gen show ‘Y Not’

    MUMBAI: English news channel CNN IBN is launching a new show, Y Not, inspired by the new India starting today.

    Y Not will motivate and provide a forum to young India to question and discuss the issues that matter to them, claims the channel. The show will be aired every Friday at 8.30 pm.

    Says IBN18 Network editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, “Meeting the needs of the next generation will require a change at several levels including a change in thinking and mindset of the society. This is possible only when we listen to and have a hand on the pulse of the youth. Y Not is one such initiative dedicated to voicing the needs of young India.”

    Y Not, as per the channel, will be the platform for the youth to voice their opinions through debates on current issues like moral policing, drug abuse, education, racism, women security, ragging and gay rights.

    The show will pick a current issue and scrutinize it by opinionated young people. It will also showcase young achievers who are creators of their own learnings from all lengths of life from across the country. It will break taboos on the topics that are normally brushed under and will be current in content, questioning and analysing in its slant and irreverent in its attitude and style.

    Additionally, Y Not will also guide on the hippest, coolest and the latest in all the zones. The show will also have youth perform spoofs, videos and songs to express themselves.

  • CNN IBN launches special series on drought

    CNN IBN launches special series on drought

    MUMBAI: CNN IBN is launching a special series covering the drought-affected areas across the nation, the worst in recent times.

    The channel, through its series Spectre of Drought, will try and analyse the impact of the drought throughout the week in the news wheel.

    The news correspondents will travel to all the major states like Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

    The series will attempt to gauge just how bad the impact of the drought is and how much will it affect the common man in urban areas who are dependent on these rural areas for food supplies.

    Says IBN18 Network editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, “As the country witnesses a severe drought, CNN IBN brings Spectre of drought for it viewers to bring the real impact and effect of the drought in various parts of the country. The series will also look at the impact of drought on urban areas addressing problems like the food prices rising by the day.”

    The series will cover places like Aurangabad in Bihar where farmers have now begun using guns to protect the scanty and precious water in their barely functioning irrigation canals. It will also show western Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana amongst others.

  • IBN18 ups stake in Viacom18 to 33.7%

    IBN18 ups stake in Viacom18 to 33.7%

    MUMBAI: IBN18 has invested Rs 2.63 billion to hold a 33.71 per cent stake in Viacom18 Media, the joint venture company with media conglomerate Viacom that runs channels such as MTV, Vh1, Nick, and Colors in India.

    IBN18 now has the option to purchase an additional 16.29 per cent stake in Viacom18, resulting in an aggregate stake of 50 per cent in the joint venture entity.

    Sources say IBN18 plans to raise Rs 1.50 billion through qualified institutional placement (QIP) to complete its holding of 50 per cent stake in Viacom18.

    IBN18 had earlier raised Rs 1.14 billion through QIP at a rate of Rs 102 per share, while the promoters had additionally infused Rs 2.41 billion in equity.

    By the end of December 2008, IBN18 had acquired 6.6 per cent of Viacom18. For the 50 per cent stake, the price is fixed at $62.5 million ($50.5 million for the transfer and $12 million as option premium – inclusive of costs of funding).

    Meanwhile, IBN18, which houses news channels CNN IBN, IBN7 and a JV Marathi news channel IBN Lokmat, has posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 920.01 million for the fiscal ended 31 March 2009.

    The net loss has expanded as in FY’08 the company had suffered a loss of Rs 234.45 million.

    Revenue rose 38.96 per cent to Rs 1.83 billion for FY’09, as against Rs 1.32 billion a year ago. Expenditure moved up 94.34 per cent to Rs 2.57 billion, compared to Rs 1.32 billion in FY’08.

    The results of Viacom18 Media will get consolidated once IBN18 holds 50 per cent in the JV.

  • Surgery starts at NewsX, 78 face the axe

    Surgery starts at NewsX, 78 face the axe

    MUMBAI: It was a black Saturday for the NewsX staff, the English news channel which came under financial cloud and saw ownership change hands within a year of launch as the original promoters, Indrani and Peter Mukerjea, exited after struggling to fund the high-cost operations.

    The new owners, NaiDuniya promoter Vinnay Chhajlani and former Businessworld editor Jehangir S Pocha, have started the surgical process. They have asked 78 people to submit their resignations and take three months salary in advance, multiple sources say.

    The trimming includes staff from editorial and technical divisions. “We were given current month’s salary along with an advance of three months and asked to sign the resignation letter,” says a senior editorial staff.

    Clarifying the position, a company spokesperson said: “When NewsX was purchased by IndiMedia in January this year, it was carrying the infrastructure and resources that were originally created to enable the launch of multiple channels. We are now focusing on NewsX and streamlining and strengthening its operations. All previous plans to launch multiple channels have been put on hold. This has made it imperative for NewsX to prune and rightsize its operations, both in terms of infrastructure and people.”

    “Many of us joined the channel before it launched. We worked in leading TV news brands like CNN IBN, NDTV 24X7 and Times Now. We have worked hard for the channel and it is heartbreaking to know that after putting in all the efforts, we have been asked to leave in such a manner,” another senior editoral executive said.

    Meanwhile, the new management is reviewing the business and planning an overhaul of the channel. Multiple sources say the channel will don a new look, have a new name and relaunch sometime in September.

    NewsX, however, will not stop hiring. “We will continue to hire talent in specific positions and strengthen the channel’s operations, distribution and branding,” the spokesperson explains.

    NewsX landed into trouble very early in life with editor-in-chief Vir Sanghvi leaving the company amid controversies. The channel failed to make an impact and ratings stayed elusive. After the buyout, the new owners introduced a slab-structured pay cut policy to stave off 10 per cent of employee cost.

    NewsX has a tough road ahead as the general English news channel space is being fought fiercely among Times Now, CNN IBN and NDTV 24X7.

  • FIFA World Cup Mania on CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN Lokmat

    FIFA World Cup Mania on CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN Lokmat

    NEW DELHI: CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN Lokmat have lined up an exciting programming line-up to capture the latest happenings and the action from the football field during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

    The special programming A Beautiful Game on CNN-IBN and Goal on IBN7 will provide a 360 degree perspective of the tournament. A panel of experts will add their analytical perspective to the game through special preview and review shows of each match played and an indepth examination of the players’ performance in the tournament. The experts include renowned former Moroccan football player and India’s No.1 football coach, Karim Bencherifa and the country’s top football analyst and commentator Novy Kapadia. They will provide the viewers with all the vital highlights and analysis of the matches and cover all aspects of FIFA World Cup 2010.

    On IBN Lokmat, the special programming Kick Football Chi with Sunandan Lele, Consultant Editor, IBN Lokmat will consist of daily bulletins focusing on match reviews and previews. While the morning bulletins will focus on reviewing the matches which have been played, the evening bulletin will examine the various teams’ preparations for the matches ahead.

    During the tournament, CNN-IBN and IBN7 will take a comprehensive look at the entire tournament with match reviews and previews, profiles, in-depth analysis and panel discussions. While on IBN7, Senior Anchor Darain Shahidi will be seen in conversation with Novy Kapadia who will provide viewers with rare insights into the game; on CNN-IBN, host Sanjeeb Mukherjea along with Novy Kapadia, Karim Bencherifa and some of the celebrity football fans will discuss the teams’ performances and strategies for the important matches. The special programming on the channels will go on-air as per the following schedule

    On CNN-IBN, there will be a special one hour show focusing on who could win the FIFA World Cup at 7:00PM (with repeat telecast at 10:00 pm) on 10 June. The programming will also include a one and half hour special on 11 June at 6.00 pm. This interactive programme will lead up to the kick off of the FIFA World Cup 2010 at 7:30 PM IST and will bring live feeds from CNN-IBN correspondents across the country as they interact with soccer fans in the build up to the inauguration of the tournament. Additionally the programme will also feature reactions from football fans across the globe as they prepare to launch themselves into FIFA Fever. The daily programming will be telecast at 7.30 am, 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm till the tournament ends.

    On IBN7, daily programming will be telecast at 8 am and 6.30 pm throughout the tournament and on IBN Lokmat, the programming will go on air at 7.30 am (with a repeat at 11.30 am) and 6.30 pm during the length of the tournament.

  • Aaj Tak, CNN IBN win poll endgame ratings

    Aaj Tak, CNN IBN win poll endgame ratings

    MUMBAI: Though the verdict of the 2009 general election was far from what the news channels expected or projected, the endgame drama on 16 May certainly drew in peak viewers.

    The Hindi TV news genre jumped almost three-fold to 14.87 per cent on the counting day, up from the previous week’s standing at 5.08 per cent. This, however, remained lower than what the genre enjoyed as a share percentage last time round, according to Tam data for C&S 15+ in the Hindi speaking market. In 2004, the counting day on 13 May saw the share of the genre surging to 24.25 per cent from its previous week’s draw of 5.06 per cent.

    Aaj Tak led the pack with 27 per cent of channel share, followed by Star news with 19 per cent and India TV 13 per cent. IBN7 remained fourth in the viewership ladder with a 10 per cent share, while Zee News took a share of 9 per cent and NDTV India 7 per cent.

  • IL&FS sells 4 million IBN18 shares for Rs 410 million

    IL&FS sells 4 million IBN18 shares for Rs 410 million

    MUMBAI: IL&FS Private Equity Trust has sold four million shares of IBN18, a Network18 Group company, for Rs 410 million.

    IL&FS offloaded the IBN18 shares in the open market at Rs 100.25 per share. IBN18 houses news channels CNN IBN, IBN7 and IBN Lokmat.

    IL&FS sold to Talma Chemical Industries and Indea Long Term Opportunities Master Fund in two bulk deals. There were other buyers as well which did not get reflected in bulk deals.

    Talma Chemical Industries purchased 1.7 million IBN18 shares, paying out around Rs 170.42 million. Indea Long Term Opportunities Mssaster Fund, on the other hand, picked up 1 million shares for around Rs 100.25 million.

    Shares of IBN18 closed Tuesday at Rs 114.95 on the BSE, up 14.95 per cent over the previous close.