ITV

Tag: Dilli Aaj Tak

  • TV Today Network cites tepid growth, less revenue for discontinuing Delhi Aaj Tak

    TV Today Network cites tepid growth, less revenue for discontinuing Delhi Aaj Tak

    MUMBAI: Recently, TV Today Network announced that the transmission of its Hindi news channel Delhi Aaj Tak (DAT) will be discontinued from the midnight of 30 June 2020. Speculations on the reasons for the closure were rife. The news network, however, has cited the tepid growth of the channel as a reason for discontinuing its operations.

    In a regulatory filing, TV Today Network said that DAT contributes less than one per cent to the total revenues of the company. It informed that total income from DAT for FY 20 was Rs 370.93 lakh out of the total income Rs 89,956.52 lakh of the company. The net worth contribution by DAT was also negligible.

    “Further, the business of DAT has not grown over the years, hence it is not viable to continue with the transmission and operations of DAT. Also, services of some of the people working in channel ‘Dilli Aaj Tak’ can be utilised more effectively in supporting the operations of the flagship channel of the company viz. AajTak. It is pertinent to mention that since the channel comprises of an insignificant portion of business of the company, therefore the said discontinuation shall not have any material impact on overall business of the company,” it added.

    The channel was launched 12 years ago on 31 December 2007. TV Today Network also has three other channels: Aaj Tak (Hindi), India Today Television (English), Aaj Tak Tez (Hindi).

  • TV Today Network discontinues Delhi Aaj Tak

    TV Today Network discontinues Delhi Aaj Tak

    MUMBAI: As the pandemic rages on, channels are struggling to survive. Amidst this, TV Today Network announced that the transmission of its Hindi news channel Delhi Aaj Tak will be discontinued from the midnight of 30 June 2020.

    It is likely that the network is unable to sustain the channel with the fall in ad revenue. However, it did not provide any reason for the closure of its channel in its letter to distributors signed by senior VP distribution KR Arora. It is likely that the shrinking of the ad pie due to the pandemic is prompting companies to take such harsh decisons.

    Delhi Aaj Tak, also known as 'Dilli Aaj Tak,' was launched 12 years ago on 31 December 2007. TV Today Network also has three other channels Aaj Tak (Hindi), India Today Television (English), Aaj Tak Tez (Hindi).

  • Q2-2014: TV Today reports Rs 12.83 cr as compared to loss in Q2-2013

    Q2-2014: TV Today reports Rs 12.83 cr as compared to loss in Q2-2013

    BENGALURU: TV Today Network Limited (TV Today) reported a PAT of Rs 12.83 crore for Q2-2014 as compared to a loss of Rs (-9.15) crore in Q2-2013. PAT for Q2-2014 was 0.7 per cent higher than the Rs 11.98 crore for Q1-2014.

    Its radio segment reported improved performance with a 27 per cent lower segment loss of Rs (-2.02) crore for Q2-2014, as compared to the Rs (-2.76) crore for Q2-2013 and 13.3 per cent lower loss as compared to the loss of Rs (-2.33) crore for Q1-2014.

    Let us look at the other results for Q2-2014 filed by TV Today

    Presently, TV Today runs four 24 hours news and current affairs channels, namely Aaj Tak, Dilli Aaj Tak and Tez in Hindi and Headlines Today in English.

  • Q2-2014: TV Today reports Rs 12.83 cr as compared to loss in Q2-2013

    Q2-2014: TV Today reports Rs 12.83 cr as compared to loss in Q2-2013

    BENGALURU: TV Today Network Limited (TV Today) reported a PAT of Rs 12.83 crore for Q2-2014 as compared to a loss of Rs (-9.15) crore in Q2-2013. PAT for Q2-2014 was 0.7 per cent higher than the Rs 11.98 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Its radio segment reported improved performance with a 27 per cent lower segment loss of Rs (-2.02) crore for Q2-2014, as compared to the Rs (-2.76) crore for Q2-2013 and 13.3 per cent lower loss as compared to the loss of Rs (-2.33) crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Let us look at the other results for Q2-2014 filed by TV Today

     

    Presently, TV Today runs four 24 hours news and current affairs channels, namely Aaj Tak, Dilli Aaj Tak and Tez in Hindi and Headlines Today in English.

     

    TV Today reported total income from operations of Rs 91.71 crore for Q2-2014, 36 per cent higher than the Rs 67.31 crore for Q2-2013 and three per cent higher than the Rs 88.85 crore for the immediate preceding quarter Q1-2014.

     

    TV Today’s TV broadcasting segment income from operations for Q2-2014 at Rs 87.62 crore was more than a third higher (higher by 35.2 per cent) than the Rs 64.56 crore for Q2-2013 and almost flat (two per cent higher) than the Rs 85.89 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    TV Broadcasting segment reported a profit from operations of Rs 21.27 crore for Q2-2014 as compared to the loss of Rs (-3.19) crore for Q2-2013 and almost flat as compared to the Rs 21.18 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Its FM radio broadcasting segment reported a 54 per cent higher income from operations for Q2-2014 of Rs 4.08 crore as compared to the Rs 2.65 crore for Q2-2014 and 35 per cent higher than the Rs 3.02 crore for Q1-2014. As mentioned above, loss for Q2-2014 from FM radio broadcasting business was much lower as compared to y-o-y or q-o-q.

     

    Q2-2014 Total Expense at Rs 73.54 crore was almost flat as compared to the Rs 73.31 crore for Q2-2013 as well as the Rs 71.27 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Production cost for Q2-2014 at Rs 8.06 crore was 10.6 per cent lower than the Rs 9.02 crore for Q2-2013 and the Rs 9.03 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    The network spent about six per cent more in Q2-2014 towards Advertisement, Distribution and Sales Promotion expenses at Rs 22.93 crore as compared to the Rs 21.67 crore in Q2-2013 and 16.4 per cent higher than the Rs 19.7 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    The company says that it has made a strategic investment of Rs 45.52 crore in Mail Today Newspapers (Mail Today) for entering into print media. Though Mail Today is in the initial stages of operations and is presently incurring losses, the company is confident of its future and profitability and consequently of carrying value of the investment.

  • TV Today telecasts 16 per cent net profit rise in FY 2013

    TV Today telecasts 16 per cent net profit rise in FY 2013

    MUMBAI: Its FM radio broadcasting business is on the turnaround trail. And that – apart from its mainstay its news TV channels Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Dilli Aaj Tak and Tezz- has helped Living Media India Ltd’s (The India Today group’s) television & FM radio broadcasting arm, TV Today Network, post a pleasing 16 per cent rise in its net profit in the year ended 31 March 2013. However, its Q4 2013 net profit has fallen 13.3 per cent against the corresponding previous year’s Q4-2012.

    TV Today Network has been one of the more efficiently run news organisations in the Indian news broadcasting sector and has been reporting profits for some time now. Other listed news TV organisations have been bleeding and have just about starting showing profits. Hence, its Q4-2013 results appear to be just an aberration.

    Let us look at the standalone Q4-2013 financials as against Q4-2012

    Q4-2013 total revenues stand at Rs 84.27 crore, a drop of over 4.7 per cent as against last corresponding Q4-2012’s Rs 88.46 crore. Its TV broadcasting business contributes nearly 97 per cent at Rs 81.63 crore to its revenues while its FM radio broadcasting operations through its channel ‘Oye 104.8’ generated Rs 2.64 crore.

    The broadcaster has managed to pare some of its expenses at Rs 77.89 crore in Q4-2013 as against last corresponding Q4-2012’s Rs 78.33 crore. The marginal difference is on account of its production costs being reduced to Rs 10.36 crore (Rs 11.24 crore).

    Even though the company has seen a 13 per cent reduction in its net profit for Q4-2013 to Rs 6.36 crore (as against Q4-2012’s Rs 7.33 crore), what is heartening is the narrowing of its losses from its FM radio division in Q4-2013 to Rs 2.74 crore from Rs 4.46 crore in Q4-2012.

    Let us take a look at the consolidated financials for the year ending 31 March 2013

    As mentioned earlier, efficient management of its FM radio operations has helped TV Today Network in FY-2013. Its net profit for FY-2013 had a handsome increase of 16 per cent to Rs 12.21 crore (Rs 10.52 crore in FY-2012). A large part of this increase can be attributed to the decrease in losses at its FM radio division to Rs 13.24 crore from Rs 18.59 crore in FY-2012.

    Total revenue for FY 2013 rose to Rs 312.66 crore as against FY-2012’s Rs 308.43 crore with TV broadcasting revenues contributing Rs 302.69 crore as against Rs 300 crore in FY-2012. Its FM radio division chipped in with Rs 9.98 crore as against Rs 8.09 crore last fiscal.

    The company claims that its profits have been squeezed further on account of its payments to BSNL and Prasar Bharti amounting to Rs 80 lakh and monitoring charges for foreign satellite amounting to Rs 76.91 lakh.

    From the short term perspective, its current liabilities including trade payables have significantly increased to Rs 128.39 crore in FY-2013 as against Rs 94.16 crore in FY-2012, a worrying 36 per cent rise, especially when its current assets have shot by only 24 per cent during the same period.

    TV Today Network has made a strategic investment of Rs 45.52 crore in Mail Today Newspapers which is bringing out a daily newspaper in the north. Though Mail Today is in the initial stages of operations and presently incurring losses, the company holds a confident outlook of its future profitability.

    The company has announced a 15 per cent dividend, even as the share closed at Rs 84.85 by the time trading ended on BSE.

  • QW Naqvi bids adieu to TV Today

    QW Naqvi bids adieu to TV Today

    MUMBAI: Veteran journalist has decided to bid adieu to TV Today Network where he was working as news director.

    Naqvi, 58, had rejoined TV Today Network in 2004 February and was responsible for successfully launching Tez and Dilli Aaj Tak.

    “I have decided to take retirement from the company, my last day at TV Today is 31 May,” Naqvi told Indiantelevision.com.

    Queried about his future plans, Naqvi said he hasn’t decided anything yet.

    Naqvi has straddled the world of print and television media for the last 30 years bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to bear through his grasp and understanding of news. Starting as a trainee journalist with the Nav Bharat Times Mumbai, he later moved to Nav Bharat Times Lucknow.

    By the mid-eighties, he had moved to Kolkata as the Chief Reporter in the Hindi weekly Ravivaar, covering the north-east extensively. A year later he was part of the core team that launched a new product Chauthi Duniya.

    In the late eighties, he returned to Nav Bharat Times in Lucknow and by 1993, he joined Nav Bharat Times Jaipur as Editorial Head. In June 1995, he joined TV Today Network as Associate Editor and he was the one who proposed the name Aaj Tak which has since become a generic name for news television in India.

    As a reporter, he has done several landmark stories, widely travelling across the country and working in different and diverse socio-economic and geographical landscapes, such as Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur. He has worked with three of the largest media houses of the country – Bennett Coleman, Anand Bazar Patrika and Living Media Group.

  • ‘We are developing a 100 per cent Indian company’ : G Krishnan – TV Today Network CEO

    ‘We are developing a 100 per cent Indian company’ : G Krishnan – TV Today Network CEO

     TV Today Network Ltd. has been very conservative in expanding its footprint. While TV news organisations Network18 and NDTV Ltd. have scaled up their business model to work out a non news empire, the Aroon Purie-promoted company has stuck to its basic strength of running a string of news channels.

    Holding tight the purse strings, TV Today has stayed a profit-focussed company. Flagship Hindi news channel Aaj Tak continues to be the market leader while Tez and Dilli Aaj Tak are add-on channels serving targeted spaces. English general news channel Headlines Today has got a new positioning of being “refreshingly different.”

    The company intends to merge Radio Today Broadcasting Ltd, a group firm, with itself. TV Today, which currently holds 10 per cent in Radio Today, believes the synergy will help it to pocket local advertising much more efficiently.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Sibabrata Das, TV Today Network CEO G Krishnan talks about the company’s plans to launch more news channels to service the need gap while stressing on the need to get it correct.

    Excerpts:

    Why has TV Today been reluctant to scale up like TV18 or NDTV when it is sitting on Rs 1.7 billion of cash on books?
    Some media companies have tied up with international majors to fund their expansion. We are developing a 100 per cent Indian company. But we will have more channel roll outs. We are firming up a robust business plan. We are looking at all possibilities and are taking our time as we want to do it correctly.

    Will you wait for digitalisation to take off in a big way before adding more channels?
    We are studying the feasibility of launching niche channels. Distribution is currently the major cost in the P&L (profit and loss) account. However if we feel there is potential in any space in the long term, we will look at launching channels to service the need gap.

    Isn’t TV Today too dependent on flagship Hindi news channel Aaj Tak with Tez and Dilli Aaj Tak being low-cost channels?
    Media companies tend to depend on a single flagship channel. Star India has Star Plus as the main revenue channel while in case of Zee, it is Zee TV. But Headlines Today is growing and targeted channels like Tez and Dilli Aaj Tak contribute both to our turnover and our profitability. Tez has shorter news wheels while Dilli Aaj Tak is a Delhi/NCR specific Hindi news channel with the content led by utility in the capital region.

    TV Today had floated a wholly owned subsidiary company, TV Today Network (Business) Ltd, a few years back and was talking to American financial and business news major Bloomberg. Are the plans to launch a business news channel still alive?
    Bloomberg was talking to several players at that stage. We are still open to launching a business news channel, with or without partners.

    Are there any big plans for Headlines Today?
    Headlines Today has been on the growth track with the new positioning of “refreshingly different” and targeting the younger audience. We will further consolidate our position and launch more properties to strengthen the various time bands.
    ‘News channels are paying Rs 5 billion as carriage fee. It is for us as a group of broadcasters to see if we can ensure that this doesn’t gallop further‘

    Do you see a slowdown in the Indian economy affecting the TV news organisations?
    The TV news market, pegged at Rs 10 billion, is growing at 17 per cent. The size of the Hindi news market is Rs 6 billion while English general news channels make about Rs 2 billion. The healthy thing is that each segment is growing. The English business news space will see market expansion when the Times of India Group launches its product in this segment.

    Aren’t a rise in carriage and personnel costs a worrying feature?
    News channels are paying Rs 5 billion as carriage fee. The surge in distribution costs is killing the industry. It is for us as a group of broadcasters to see if we can ensure that this doesn’t gallop further. The personnel cost has not grown at an alarming pace for us in the last fiscal (Rs 552 million compared to Rs 445 million in FY’07). For some networks, though, the rise in costs will be really tough.

    The new players also should stick to reasonable ad rates. Everybody is hoping that good sense would prevail and the market shouldn’t be spoilt.

    TV Today’s revenue jumped 22 per cent to Rs 2.3 billion in FY’08. Was this driven by an ad rate hike and improved utilisation of Headlines Today?
    We had an effective ad rate hike of 12-13 per cent in the last fiscal. We have further increased our rates by 8-9 per cent in July.

    Was the 43 per cent surge in net profit to Rs 435.5 million led by an income in international distribution?
    We made Rs 100 million from international distribution. We plan to take both Aaj Tak and Headlines Today to Canada. We are doing research to assess that market.

    Do you see domestic pay revenues kicking in this year?
    We are a pay channel and are part of the One Alliance bouquet. We have turned pay in select markets as we do not want to lose our viewership and ratings. We will see distribution income grow.

    Zee News Ltd. has started the franchising model to have a footprint in the smaller markets. Do you see this as a growth model you would like to follow?
    We have not explored the franchising model. We feel launching our products directly in the marketplace is a better route.

    TV Today is in the process of merging Radio Today Broadcasting Ltd, a fellow subsidiary company, with itself. Why?
    The radio business will synergise with our TV business. We will tap local advertisers.
    If the government allows news on private FM radio, will we see a radical change in positioning from its current talk show format for women?
    We will have a heavy dose of news. And the synergy will work. When we launch more local channels in other markets, it will add strength to our radio advertising revenues.
    What has been the progress made by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) on the Content Code?
    The NBA is putting systems in place for a content code based on self-regulation for news television channels. We understand the need for a self-regulatory system and are aggressively pursuing it. We have formed the ‘News Broadcasting Standards (Disputes Redressal) Authority’ to enforce NBA’s code of ethics and broadcasting standards. The authority will become operational from 2 October.
  • TV Today announces 29 May launch of Dilli Aaj Tak

    TV Today announces 29 May launch of Dilli Aaj Tak

    MUMBAI: The Aroon Purie promoted TV Today Network has officially announced the launch of its fourth 24-hour news channel, targeting the local Delhi/NCR audience, for 29 May 2006.

    The announcement confirms a report put out earlier by Indiantelevision.com. The network has named the NCR channel –‘Dilli Aaj Tak’, which will cover all aspects of life in Delhi and the National capital region. The positioning of the channel is ‘Aap Ka Shahar, Aap Tak’. The look and feel is stylish and vibrant, and the content is led by utility in the capital region.

    TV Today Network CEO G Krishnan says, “We have consolidated our position of being India’s No. 1 news network through our three very differently positioned news channels. Getting into the regional news space was the next logical step for us, and what better market to enter than Delhi? Delhi’s rising consumerism, booming economy and rapidly improving infrastructure, among other things, have made it a city to reckon with at a global scale – the need exists for a credible news channel that can cover life in the capital.”

    TV Today Network chairman and MD Aroon Purie says “The media industry in general and the television industry in particular has been booming; news space has seen an exponential increase in the number of players. In this clutter, consumers look for credible sources of information, and TV Today Network is committed to provide just that.”