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Tag: distribution

  • Muted box office performance pares PVR profit, numbers in Q3-2014

    Muted box office performance pares PVR profit, numbers in Q3-2014

    BENGALURU: Muted box office performance by most of the films released during Q3-2014 resulted in a 48.6 per cent drop in consolidated PAT to Rs 14.16 crore from Rs 27.55 crore in Q2-2014 for Indian motion picture exhibition, production and distribution house PVR Limited. Revenue also dropped by 7.91 per cent in Q3-2014 to Rs 339.39 crore from Rs 367.27 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    Consolidated numbers cannot be compared with Q3-2013, because Cinemax became a subsidiary of PVR Limited only effective 7 January 2013.  

     

    PVR Limited has three main revenue streams – Movie Exhibition; Movie Production and Distribution and ‘Others’ which includes bowling, gaming and restaurant services. 

     

    PVR says that there were only three big films (Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela, Krrish 3 and Dhoom 3) in Q3-2014 as compared to seven big films (Student of the year, English Vinglish, Jab Tak Hain Jaan, Son of Sardar, Talaash, Dabangg 2 & Life of Pi) in Q3-2013. The company says that big films like Boss, Beshram, R..Rajkumar, Bullet Raja underperformed. Further it says that occupancy of top 10 movies for Q3-2014 for comparable properties was down by six per cent as against same period last year, while Admits for top 10 movies for comparable properties was down by 17 per cent as against same period last year. Top 10 movies admission contribution was 62 per cent in Q3 2014 as against 71 per cent in same period last year. 

     

    In spite of the drop in footfalls, the average total ticket price in Q3-2014 at Rs 169 was up by 3.55 per cent from the Rs 163 in Q3-2013 and remained the same as the immediate trailing quarter (Q2-2014). Total consolidated admits in Q3-2014 fell by 5.3 per cent to about 143 lakh (100 lakh=1 crore) from 151 lakh in Q3-2013 and fell by 13.86 per cent from 166 lakh in Q2-2014. 

     

    Overall net box office revenue (PVR and Cinemax combined) was down by 1.45 per cent at Rs 196.59 crore in Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 199.48 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year and was 11.59 per cent lower than the Rs 222.36 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    Consolidated Food and Beverage (F&B)  revenue grew by 14.62 per cent in Q3-2014 to Rs  73.13 crore  as compared to Rs 63.80 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous year, but fell q-o-q by (-7.95) per cent from Rs 79.45 crore.   

     

    Consolidated Sponsorship Income during the quarter grew 23.05 per cent to Rs 41.95 crore from Rs 32.28 crore over same period last year and grew 18.24 per cent from the Rs 35.48 crore in Q2-2014; on account of synergies arising out of acquisition of Cinemax says the company. 

     

    PVR Limited movie production and distribution segment reported revenue of Rs 6.81 crore for Q3-2014, up 11.27 per cent as compared to the Rs 6.12 crore in Q3-2013, but down  by 4.62 per cent as compared to the Rs 7.14 crore in Q2-2014. The segment results were a positive Rs 2.5 crore in the current quarter as compared to a positive Rs 1 lakh (Rs 0.01 Crore) in Q2-2014 and NIL in Q3-2013. 

     

    Let us look at the other Q3-2014 figures reported by PVR

     

    The two brands that contribute to PVR Limited movie exhibition revenue are PVR Multiplex and Cinemax Multiplex which was merged last year with PVR Limited (as mentioned above). 

     

    PVR Multiplex Numbers 

     

    PVR reported revenue of Rs 224.42 crore in the current quarter, up 15.11 per cent as compared to the Rs 194.8 crore in Q3-2013. Its net box office collection at Rs 136.06 crore was 12.58 per cent more than the Rs 120.86 crore in Q3-2013, but 9.64 per cent lower than the Rs 150.58 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    PVR expense during Q3-2014 at Rs 191.24 crore was 19.32 per cent higher than the Rs 160.28 crore in Q3-2013 and 0.7 per cent lower than the Rs 192.58 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    PVR Finance cost at Rs 13.34 crore in Q3-2014 was 67.38 per cent more than the Rs 7.97 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year and 14.41 per cent more than the Rs 11.66 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    PVR Total Admits in the current quarter grew by 6.6 per cent to about 97 lakh from 91 lakh in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal but fell by 11 per cent from the 109 lakh reported during Q2-2014. 

     

    PVR Total Average Price per ticket in Q3-2014 at Rs 181 which was four per cent more than the Rs 174 in Q3-2013 and 2.26 per cent more than the Rs 177 in the immediate trailing quarter. 

     

    PVR F&B income during Q3-2014 at Rs 49.79 crore was up 32.7 per cent as compared to the Rs 37.52 crore in Q3-2013 but was down by 8.64 per cent as compared to the Rs 54.50 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    PVR Q3-2014 Sponsorship income was up 30.28 per cent to Rs 30.39 crore from Rs 23.25 crore in Q3-2013 and was up 24.55 per cent as compared to the Rs 24.32 crore in the immediate trailing quarter. 

     

    PVR Q3-2014 PAT was down by 10.76 per cent to Rs 12.69 crore from Rs 14.22 crore in Q3-2013 and down by 41.87 per cent from Rs 21.83 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    Cinemax Multiplex brand Numbers 

     

    Cinemax reported revenue of Rs 96.51 crore for Q3-2014, down by 17.38 per cent from the Rs 116.81 crore in Q3-2013 and down  by 13.65 per cent as compared to the Rs 111.77 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    Cinemax expense during the current quarter at Rs 82.12 crore was 9.69 per cent lower than the Rs 90.93 crore in Q3-2013 and 2.74 per cent lower than the Rs 84.43 crore in the immediate trailing quarter. 

     

    Cinemax Finance Cost for Q3-2014 at Rs 2.59 crore was 24.27 per cent lower than the Rs 3.42 crore in Q3-2013 and 3.72 per cent lower than the Rs 2.69 crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Cinemax Total Admits in Q3-2014 were down by 23.33 per cent at 46 lakh from about 60 lakh in Q3-2013 and were down by 19.3 per cent from about 57 lakh in Q2-2014. 

     

    Cinemax Total Average Price per ticket in Q3-2014 was 1.25 per cent more at Rs 162 in Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 160 in the corresponding period of last year and 4.52 per cent higher than the Rs 155 in Q2-2014. 

     

    Cinemax F&B Income at Rs 23.34 crore was down (-11.19) per cent as compared to the Rs 26.28 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year and was down (-6.45) per cent from the Rs 24.95 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    Cinemax Sponsorship Income for Q3-2014 at Rs 11.66 crore was 29.13 per cent up from the Rs 9.03 crore in Q3-2013 and 4.48 per cent more than the Rs 11.16 crore of the immediate trailing quarter. 

     

    Cinemax PAT for Q3-2014 at Rs 4.56 crore was down by 45.58 per cent from the Rs 8.38 crore in Q3-2013 and was down to almost a third (down by 65.18 per cent) of the Rs 13.08 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    During the year, PVR says that it has opened 12 new properties with 60 screens and currently operates a network of 408 screens spread over 95 properties in 39 cities across the country. During the quarter, the company also surpassed an important milestone of 400 screens in India, further consolidating its position in the multiplex space in India. The company says that it will continue its aggressive expansion plans and intends to add approximately 40 screens in the next six months. 

     

    Click below for:-

     

    Investor Update Q3 FY 2013-14

     

    PVR BM Outcome 31.01.2014

     

    PVR Financial Results Q3 FY 2013-14

     

    Cinemax Financial Results Q3 FY 2013-14

  • DQ Entertainment reports sextuplicate half year PAT on forex gain

    DQ Entertainment reports sextuplicate half year PAT on forex gain

    BENGALURU: The Tapas Chakravarti led DQ Entertainment (International) Ltd, (DQE) reported an almost six fold increase  (up by 5.76 times) in its first half-2014 (half year ended Sept 30, 2013 – H1-2014) financial result at Rs29.4 crore as compared to the Rs 5.1 crore for the corresponding period last year, albeit the revenue reported by the company was lower.

     

    The Hyderabad based company reported foreign exchange gain of Rs 14.4 crore for Q2-2014 and Rs 18.4 crore for Q1-2014, totalling Rs 32.8 crore for H1-2014. During the corresponding period last year, the company reported a foreign exchange loss of Rs 7.98 crore.

     

    DQE reported revenue for H1-2014 of 2014 at Rs 87 crore as compared to the Rs 95.3 crore for H1-2013.

     

    Let us look at the Q2-2014 results reported by DQE

     

    The company reported a consolidated net income from operations for Q2-2014 at Rs 56.68 crore, 12 per cent lower than the Rs 64.34 crore for Q2-2013 and almost double (up by 86 per cent) the Rs 30.43 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    PAT for Q2-2014 at Rs 22.72 crore was up 60.22 per cent as compared to the Rs 14.18 crore during the corresponding period last year and more than triple (3.44 times) the PAT of Rs 6.6 crore during Q1-2014.

     

    Expenditure without accounting for forex gain/loss and transfer of expense to capital account for Q2-2014 at Rs 41.77 crore was 5.8 per cent higher than the Rs 39.48 crore for Q2-2013 and 12 per cent higher than the Rs 37.3 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Segment Results

     

    Two segments contribute to DQE revenue – animation and distribution.

     

    Animation reported revenue of Rs.41.51 crores, 1.4 per cent lower than the Rs 42.09 crore for Q2-2013 and 50.6 per cent higher than the Rs 27.57 crore for Q1-2014. The segment reported positive result of Rs 27.32 crore for Q2-2014, more than double (2.38 times) the Rs 11.46 crore for Q2-2013 and 25.7 per cent more than the Rs 21.73 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Distribution reported 32.6 per cent drop in revenue to Rs 15 crore in Q2-2014 as compared to the Rs 22.25 crore for Q2-2013. Distribution revenue for Q1-2014 was Rs 2.85 crore. Distribution returned positive result of Rs 9.44 crore, 40.4 per cent lower than the Rs 15.86 crore for Q2-2013. DQE’s distribution segment had returned negative figures of Rs (-1.86) crore for Q1-2014.

     

    DQE CMD and CEO Chakravarti said, “The global entertainment industry is developing at an unprecedented pace. Mobility and portability of content will, in my opinion, have a profound impact as viewers consume  programming outside their homes and want to control what they watch, when they watch, and on what device. So many opportunities are evolving and we recognise that in so far as content production is important, even more vital will be the distribution technologies that are emerging.”

     

    “Recognising and serving this need with regards to distribution technology, we have made substantial and focused progress in licensing and distribution of our Intellectual Properties not only for television broadcast, but other VOD (Video on Demand) and SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) and OTT (Over the Top) platforms as well. Our flagship global property Jungle Book Series is on Netflix, Vudu and Hulu – the famous OTT platforms in the USA,” added Chakravarti.

     

     “New associations with leading networks and licensees globally are paving the way to monetise our IPs and co-produced content. New deals across our portfolio of properties in recent months are with best-in-class partners such as France Television, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel Productions, Sky Italia, Universal Music, Discovery Kids, Rai TV, Italy etc. The promotional deal for The Jungle Book with Burger King Worldwide has been immensely successful and will be extended for second promotion,” revealed Chakravarti.

     

     “We have successfully completed deliveries while new productions are in development. Our foray into theatrical production of ‘The Jungle Book’ is gathering momentum, and we hope to conclude announceable distribution deals in the near future. We remain confident that the global entertainment industry has excellent growth prospects, while our business remains well placed for projected growth in the current year,” concluded Chakravarti.

  • NDTV reports improved q-o-q results with lower loss, improves EBIDTA for Q2-2014

    NDTV reports improved q-o-q results with lower loss, improves EBIDTA for Q2-2014

    BENGALURU: New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) reported a lower consolidated net loss of Rs (-15.26) crore for Q2-2014, which was 57.5 per cent lower than the Rs (-24.04) crore for Q1-2014 (q-o-q), but about four per cent higher loss than the Rs (-14.68) crore the network reported for the corresponding quarter of last year (Q2-2013).

     

    However, it reported an improved EBIDTA of Rs 1.5 crore as compared to the Rs (-19.0) crore for Q2-2013. NDTV also reported a 19 per cent y-o-y growth for Q2-2014 at Rs 128 crore as compared to the Rs 108 crore for the same quarter.

     

    The Company has reported that it has sold its property in Noida for a sale consideration of Rs 30 crore. The gain of Rs 6.27 crore has been recognised in ‘Other Income’ in the standalone and consolidated financial statements recorded by the company. Consolidated other income for Q2-2014 at Rs 22.04 crore was almost quintuple the Rs 4.53 crore for Q2-2013 and the Rs 4.63 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Let us look at the other figures for Q2-2014 reported by NDTV

     

    Consolidated total income from operations for Q2-2014 at Rs 106.19 crore was 2.8 per cent higher than the Rs 103.33 crore for Q2-2013 and 3.7 per cent higher than the Rs 102.4 crore for Q1-2014. Revenue from NDTV’s television media related segment for Q2-2014 at Rs 107.42 crore was four per cent higher than the Rs 103.33 crore for Q2-2013 and 4.7 per cent higher than the Rs 102.59 crore for Q1-2014. Its retail/e-commerce segment clocked revue of Rs 0.52 crore for Q2-2014. (Intersegment revenue adjustment of Rs 1.75 crore resulted in consolidated income from operations of Rs 106.19 crore for Q2-2014).

     

    Consolidated total expense at Rs 133.58 crore for Q2-2014 was almost flat as compared to the Rs 133.67 crore for Q2-2013 and 6.2 per cent more than the Rs 125.75 for Q1-2014. Production expense for Q2-2014 at Rs 22.84 crore was 2.2 per cent higher than the Rs 22.34 crore for Q2-2013, but 5.5 per cent lower than the Rs 24.11 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    In Q2-2014, the company spent 18.6 per cent less on marketing, distribution and promotional at Rs 25.43 crore as compared to the Rs 31.25 crore for the corresponding quarter last year (Q2-2013), but 17.9 per cent more than the Rs 21.57 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Operating and administration expense at Rs 33.55 crore was 3.6 per cent higher than the Rs 32.39 crore for Q2-2013 and 17.4 per cent higher than the Rs 28.58 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Its employee cost at Rs 44.92 crore for Q2-2014 was 10.45 per cent higher than the Rs 40.67 crore for the corresponding quarter of last year (Q2-2013) and almost the same as the Rs 44.93 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    The company claims that total revenue from Hindi News grew 54 per cent y-o-y. Revenue of NDTV’s digital arm, NDTV Convergence, was up by 64 per cent y-o-y. NDTV claims that NDTV Convergence registered 500 crore (five billion) page views, on an annualised basis, across mobile and web and 200 crore (two billion) minutes of streamed videos. It further says that NDTV Gadgets has become India’s biggest gadget site. NDTV’s first e-commerce venture IndianRoots.com was successfully launched on 28 July and is showing healthy sales traction says the company.

  • Despite losses, NDTV reports improved operational performance for Q1-2014

    Despite losses, NDTV reports improved operational performance for Q1-2014

    BENGALURU: Despite the fact that the first quarter is seasonally the worst quarter, and one-time expenses related to the re-launch of NDTV Profit, New Delhi Television Networks Limited (NDTV) has reported an improved operation performance for Q1-2014.

     

    NDTV’s consolidated net loss for Q1-2014 at Rs 24.04 crore was 7.9 per cent lower than the consolidated loss of Rs 26.09 crore for Q1-2013. The company had reported a consolidated profit of Rs 27.81 crore in Q4-2013 and a consolidated profit of Rs 19.1 crore for FY-2013.

     

    Consolidated income from operations of Rs 102.4 crore for Q1-2014 was slightly lower (by 4.1 per cent) as compared to the Rs 106.83 crore for Q1-2013 and substantially lower (45.1 per cent lower) than the Rs 186.56 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    Total consolidated expense was Rs 125.75 crore for Q1-2014, lower by 5.1 per cent as compared to Rs 132.56 crore for Q1-2013 and 21.8 per cent lower than the Rs 160.90 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    NDTV’s consolidated production expense at Rs 24.11 crore for Q1-2014 was lower by 12.1 per cent as compared to the production expense of Rs 27.42 crore for Q1-2013 and 39.9 per cent lower than the Rs 40.12 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    NDTV spent Rs 21.57 crore towards marketing, distribution and promotional expenses, 37.7 per cent lower than the Rs 34.65 crore for Q1-2013 and almost half (50.6 per cent of the total marketing, distribution and promotional expenses) of the Rs 42.63 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    NDTV’s consolidated operating and administrative expense for Q1-2014 at Rs 28.58 crore was 7.2 per cent more than the Rs 26.65 crore for Q1-2013, but 4.8 per cent lower than the Rs 30.01 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    NDTV’s Profit / (Loss) from ordinary activities before finance cost and exceptional Items for Q1-2014 at Rs (-14.74) crore was 13.6 per cent lower than the Rs (-17.05) crore for Q1-2013. NDTV reported a profit / from ordinary activities before finance cost and exceptional items of Rs 14.65 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    NDTV’s finance costs for Q1-2014 at Rs 4.65 crore was substantially lower by 31.5 per cent as compared to the Rs 6.79 crore for Q1-2013 and lower by 24 per cent as compared to the Rs 6.12 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    NDTV says that traditionally, the April to June quarter is seasonally unfavourable for the media industry. This has been exacerbated by the economic downturn. Further, some of the benefits of Phase I and Phase II Digitisation – substantial reduction in carriage fees and significant increase in subscription revenues – are yet to fully accrue.

     

    NDTV group CEO Vikram Chandra said, “We are excited at the imminent re-launch of NDTV Profit. We are working on a unique concept. A business channel only attracts viewership in the day, when the markets are open. The relaunched channel will cover markets during the day, and high viewership programming in the evening. This enables us to tap into two prime-time bands.”

     

    NDTV is the first Indian company to have 1 million followers on Twitter.

  • PVR announces blockbuster results for Q1-2014

    PVR announces blockbuster results for Q1-2014

    BENGALURU: Indian motion picture exhibition, production and distribution house PVR Limited (PVR) today declared stellar results for Q1-2014.

     

    Let us take a look at the performance for Q1-2014

     

    PVR’s consolidated revenues for Q1-2014 were Rs 337.3 crore as compared to Rs 180.7 crore during the corresponding period of last year (Q1-2013), up by 87 per cent. Consolidated EBITDA for Q1-2014 was Rs 61.4 crore as against Rs 34.6 crore in the same period last year, up by 78 per cent. Consolidated PAT for the quarter was Rs 13.9 crore in Q1-2014 as against of Rs 7.8 crore in the same period last year, up by 79 per cent.

     

    Correspondingly, PVR’s profit before tax for Q1-2014 grew by 64.5 per cent to Rs 19.7 crore from Rs 11.98 crore in Q1-2013. PVR had reported a loss of Rs 17.94 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    Net total income from operations for Q1-2014 was Rs 208.54 crore, up 29 per cent from the Rs 161.29 crore reported for Q1-2013 and 43 per cent higher than the Rs 146.2 crore reported for the preceding quarter (Q4-2013).

     

    Total expenses at Rs 183.16 crore were up 25.7 per cent from the Rs 145.68 crore during Q1-2013 and up 23.5 per cent as compared to the Rs 148.34 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    PVR says that its exhibition business in Q1-2014 grew on back of strong same store growth, addition of new multiplex properties and Cinemax multiplex circuit (post acquisition in January 2013). The revenue growth was driven by strong box office, food and beverage revenues and advertising revenues.

     

    Revenues from PVR’s movie exhibition more than doubled (grew by 111.5 per cent) at Rs 313.08 crore in Q1-2014 as compared to the Rs 148.05 crore reported for Q1-2013. Revenues for Q1-2014 were higher by 47.1 per cent as compared to the Rs 212.85 crore revenues that the company reported for Q4-2013.

     

    The other contributing segment to profits was ‘Others (includes bowling, gaming and restaurant services)’, revenues from which almost doubled (grew by 98.2 per cent) for Q1-2014 to Rs 18.91 crore from the Rs 9.54 crore reported for Q1-2013 and grew by 17.6 per cent as compared to the Rs 16.98 core revenues reported for Q4-2013. Segment results from the Movie production and distribution recorded a loss of Rs 0.96 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    During Q1-2014, PVR says that it had Rs 1.52 crore footfalls in its cinemas, up by 17 per cent as compared to corresponding quarter of previous year (Q1-2013). The average ticket price across the cinema circuit also grew by 10 per cent on the back of strong content and flexible pricing launched by company in various markets. Food and beverage revenues grew by 37 per cent over corresponding quarter of previous year. Sponsorship revenues also showed a stellar growth of 60 per cent over corresponding quarter of previous year.

     

    PVR chairman cum managing director Ajay Bijli said, “The revenues and profitability in the quarter has shown a robust growth over the same period last year. The integration of PVR & Cinemax at operating level is progressing well and the management is focusing on driving synergies from the combined scale of operations which is reflecting in the market share and the reported results. The string of big budget Bollywood Films like Chennai Express, Once upon a Time in Mumbai Again, Satyagraha, Krrish 3, Dhoom 3, Boss, Beshram, Singh Sahab the Great, Bullet Raja etc., will further augment the strong box office performance for the remainder of FY 2013-14.

     

    The company is bullish on its expansion plans and says that it intends to add 85-90 screens in FY 2013-14. During the Q1-2014, PVR added five properties with 35 screens across Kochi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Delhi. On a combined basis, PVR and Cinemax have a network of 383 screens spread over 89 properties in 35 cities across the country.

  • NDTV turns profitable in Q3 on back of digital gains and cost tightening

    NDTV turns profitable in Q3 on back of digital gains and cost tightening

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) has turned profitable in the fiscal-third quarter due to gains from digitisation and internal cost controls.

    The company posted a small profit in the three-month period ended 31 December against a loss a year earlier, as cost reduction outstripped fall in income.

    NDTV earned a profit of Rs 23 million in the third quarter ended against a net loss of Rs 23.9 million a year ago.
        
    NDTV’s total income from operations in the third quarter was Rs 967.7 million, down 4.9 per cent from Rs 1.07 billion a year earlier. Its total expenses for the third quarter fell 8.13 per cent to Rs 912 million from Rs 992.7 million a year earlier.

    The news broadcaster cut sharply expenses in marketing, distribution and promotions. The broadcaster spent Rs 160.4 million on marketing, distribution and promotions in the third quarter, down 41.91 per cent to Rs 276.1 million a year earlier.

    For the nine months ended 31 December, NDTV’s net loss widened significantly to Rs 356.7 million from Rs 32.8 million a year earlier, while total income for the period was Rs 2.58 billion, 7.8 per cent lower than Rs 2.79 billion a year earlier.

    On a consolidated basis, NDTV reported a profit of Rs 148.7 million in the third quarter against a loss of Rs 60.5 million a year earlier. Its total income for the third quarter was flat at Rs 1.3 billion compared with Rs 1.27 billion a year earlier.

    In a statement, NDTV said “Profit this quarter is a result of gains from digitisation and internal cost controls.”

    A buoyant NDTV CEO Vikram Chandra said, “Yes, it’s been a good quarter. It comes on the back of cost rationalisation and by streamlining the business. Also, the benefits of digitisation are starting to flow.”

  • SES, Samsung unveil Africa’s first TV with integrated FTA satellite receiver

    SES, Samsung unveil Africa’s first TV with integrated FTA satellite receiver

    MUMBAI: SES is collaborating with Samsung to drive digital broadcasting via satellite in sub-Saharan Africa.

     

    Samsung will introduce LED television with an integrated free-to-air satellite receiver, the Samsung LED TV Free Satellite, that will be distributed in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon in August 2012. Distribution to additional countries will follow.

     

    The integrated satellite receiver will allow consumers to receive free-to-air television channels without the need for an additional set top box as the LED TV will be directly connected with the satellite dish. In preparation for the launch, SES and Samsung will jointly arrange training sessions with distribution partners and installers to ensure the proper connection of the TV device to the satellite dish. Both partners will also run a joint marketing campaign in June 2012.

    As a leader in the free-to-air digital TV market, SES delivers more than 60 free-to-air channels in more than 40 African countries. The launch of the new Samsung LED TV Free Satellite coincides with more channels becoming available in Africa.

     

    SES senior director of marketing development and Marketing in Africa Christoph Limmer said, “This collaboration is the first of its kind and will drive digitalisation in Africa .Today, one out of three households in Africa has a TV set but less than 10 million homes receive content in digital format. Our cooperation will not only help to improve access to digital content for African consumers but it will also encourage African broadcasters to launch more content. In servicing more than 40 African countries, we are well aware of the huge demand for more and higher quality TV services. The opportunity lies in providing an increasingly sophisticated African viewership with a significantly increased number of TV channels – a first for many African countries.”

    Samsung Africa Regional Product Manager Dae Hee Kim said, “The Samsung LED TV Free Satellite is our contribution to the continent’s efforts to ’go digital’, providing African consumers with greater choice and broadcasters with the opportunity to grow the region’s media industry.”
  • TV Today Q4 net profit up at Rs 135.1 million

    TV Today Q4 net profit up at Rs 135.1 million

    MUMBAI: TV Today Network has posted a standalone net profit of Rs 135.1 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2008, up from Rs 122.6 million in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

    During the period, the company’s revenue stood at Rs 702.2 million as against Rs 612.6 million in the year ago period.

    TV Today Network’s expense has increased in the quarter to stand at Rs 493.7 million (from Rs 424.2 million). Advertisement, marketing and distribution cost has increased from Rs 92 million to Rs 137.9 million.

    For the entire year ended 31 March 2008, TV Today Network’s net profit has surged 40 per cent to touch Rs 435.5 million from Rs 310.9 million in the year ago period.

    The topline has grown by 24 per cent to Rs 2.51 billion as against Rs 2.02 billion last year.

    During the year, Aaj Tak expanded its international footprint by launching in UK and continental Europe.

    TV Today CEO G Krishnan said, “In spite of a highly competitive market, we are on the growth track. We will continue to deliver value to our investors and advertisers by further expanding the news base.”

  • ‘What we are telling the regulator is that the sheer volume of content this industry generates is impossible to police’ : Paritosh Joshi – Star India advertising, sales and distribution president

    ‘What we are telling the regulator is that the sheer volume of content this industry generates is impossible to police’ : Paritosh Joshi – Star India advertising, sales and distribution president

    It’s nigh on one-and-a-half years since Star India brought in a “media outsider” Paritosh Joshi as president – advertising sales & distribution, thereby consolidating the two major revenue streams of India’s lead broadcast network under one position.

    That it’s not been exactly hunky dory for Joshi since his induction is putting it mildly. His arrival has coincided with the return to the ratings reckonings for the former number one Hindi entertainment network Zee TV while on the distribution side the story has been one of the sector regulator’s increasingly watchful eye on the industry. There is also the government mandated CAS rollout timetable that Star has stated it will fully support.

    Joshi spoke at length on this and a number of other issues in an evening tete-a-tete with Indiantelevision.com.

    Excerpts:

    It’s close to one-and-a-half years since you joined Star. What have you done and managed that made a difference?
    Well, for one my coming to Star challenged many notions, since I had no prior media experience. But it had its advantages in that I came on board carrying no baggage and no preconceived notions.

    Interestingly, your induction also coincided in a time frame sense with Sameer’s pet theory that the entertainment business operates in a four-year cycle…
    The real reason for Sameer’s continuing success is that not only does he challenge his own beliefs but he encourages others to challenge his beliefs.

    As for me, my task was to look at both sides (distribution and ad sales) from above and approach revenue in a derisked sense. What we have realized is that the different parts of our business are not functioning as silos but have a number of linkages that need to be tapped into in a more holistic manner. This involves making decisions on a continuous basis.

    The converged new world is what it sounds like. Could you expand on that?
    We are developing a new understanding of the TV ecosystem. How do all these work in tandem is what we are trying to get a grip on. There are interactions across the businesses as well as new opportunities.

    For instance, we have put in Nanette D’Sa as head of licencing and merchandising; there is the branded entertainment division we have launched.

    Then there is our internet play. We have the online rights for ICC cricket and we’ve launched iccchampionstrophy.indya.com. We will soon be bringing myspace to India. Ajay Vidyasagar is actively involved there.

    On the mobile front we have the 7827 shortcode that works across all networks. A lot is happening on that front, which is Viren Popli’s baby.

    What are the principal challenges that you are confronting?
    There is an extremely complex regulatory environment in place.

    One could say there was hardly any worthwhile regulation earlier, so it’s about time.
    You have a point, but from no regulation to over regulation in one shot is also not the best way to do it either.
    ‘We will have to demonstrate by behaving right that we are willing to work on a collaborative model than an antagonistic model‘

    Well, if you were to place the kind of content that is put out on our networks before Britain’s Ofcom for instance, I am sure virtually all channels would have quite a few questions to answer.
    That’s not really a correct comparison. We (the Indian television industry) have had to grow from infancy to adulthood in one dozen years while it is a 50-year-old story in Britain. The government should make some allowance for that.

    What we are saying is that we will work with you (the government) in each part of the business to get the system in order. What we are also telling the regulator is that somewhere along the line, the sheer volume of content that this industry generates is impossible to police.

    Look at it this way. We (Star) produce 12 hours of original content every day. And there is virtually no time lag between production and delivery. If our degrees of freedom are circumscribed, our ability to deliver a quality product to our constituency gets diminished.

    Agreed, but the flip side is that whenever you try to bring order into what has been a free-for-all, there will be some amount of pain and chaos involved. That has been shown when PAN cards were introduced, as too VAT. As long as the intent is not malafide, shouldn’t industry leaders be taking the long term view?
    We’ve got too much at stake to think in the short term. And I am sure the same applies for the other big networks like Zee and Sony. The big networks should be and can be trusted to do the right thing.

    We will have to demonstrate by behaving right that we are willing to work on a collaborative model than an antagonistic model. Dialogue across constituencies is important and I am actively involved on this front.

    How many know that Star has substantially contributed to the working of the content code?

    Coming to the specifics of your network, where do you see the biggest upside on revenues coming, going forward?
    DTH will be truly it, over the next couple of years, though in discontinuous spurts. By this time next year we should be looking at between 2.5 to 3 million subscribers between the two networks (Tata Sky and Dish). Even at the Rs 27 per sub that we have been forced into agreeing to (as per the TDSAT order), you can do the math.

    That’s assuming that all subscribers will take your offering.
    As far as our current crop of channels go, we will be on the basic packages across all services so would expect to get those numbers.

    What about addressable cable. Isn’t that where the real big numbers are? More so with CAS getting rolled out?
    The addressable cable rollout is unclear as to its shape at this juncture. I think that what will happen is that while there may be some false starts, it will all settle down in due course.

    If addressable cable rolls out well, then great. We are platform agnostic on addressable systems so it can only benefit us.

    Speaking of CAS, how do you see that impacting revenues?
    We are close to signing all our CAS contracts. Star is ready to roll on CAS. The IBF will work together with other stakeholders to facilitate this in any way we can.

    Another difficulty that has hit both Star Movies and HBO is on the issue of certification of films. The Festival season is here, is there any resolution in sight there?
    We expect some solution but it will take time. We’ve basically written it off for this quarter.
    What does that mean in percentage terms?
    That would mean a write-off of about one third of the revenues we would normally have expected for the quarter.

    The most recent addition to your bouquet has been Neo Sports. Word is that you have committed a massive MG to Harish Thawani.
    I can’t comment on the size of the MG but we have to work on the fundamental premise that cricket played in India will get viewership like nothing else can, which is why Harish made the punt he did…
    What about the regional language story?
    In Bengali, we have already started our activity with a two-hour entertainment band in the afternoons on Star Anando (news channel). You could say that is the test run though we are yet to fix a date on a full fledged Bengali entertainment channel launch.

    We’re looking at the Telugu channel sometime early next year. Probably March or April.
    Are you considering the acquisition route for the Telugu channel?
    Not at all. We will be launching a completely new channel from ground up.
    On the advertising front, what are the issues that are worrisome?
    With no disrespect to LV (Krishnan, CEO of Tam India) meant, considering the heterogeneity of the country, the present ratings system is inadequate. In India we have 5,000 meters, there are 18,500 in the UK where the population is much more homogenous.

    I’ll end this by saying, ‘As providers of content real estate, our value proposition has been reduced to the absurdity called CPRP that determines and assesses everything. We would argue that this obsession with one single metric destroys value rather than creates it.’
  • Aventail Expands India Distribution with Select Technologies

    Aventail Expands India Distribution with Select Technologies

    Select Technologies to Support Aventail’s Growing SSL VPNs sales and support

    Bangalore, 30th May, 2006 – Leading SSL VPN product company Aventail Corporation (www.aventail.com) is expanding its distribution in India through a new agreement with Select Technologies, a leading solution provider in the country with more than 5,000 customers. Select Technologies will provide sales and support to Aventail’s growing clientele, which includes Wipro, Tesco, Marico, iGATE, ING Vyasa, and i-flex, both directly and through their large channel partner network across India. Together, Aventail, Select, and system integrators will offer a three-level support system.

    “With security being the top priority for enterprise and SMB customers, an affordable solution with top class security features and protection is the requirement today,” said Mr. Sunil Pillai; Business Head, Select Technologies. “Aventail’s leading technology coupled with Select’s expertise in providing innovative, cutting-edge solutions for Information Protection and Management domain make this relationship a strong one,” he added.

    “Select has a good history of making brands successful in India , and they have the required experience and expertise to carry Aventail in their portfolio,” said Mr. Ajay Kumar, Country Sales Manager for Aventail in India . “Aventail is leading the market in providing enterprises secure remote access, and Select’s strong channel network will help us increase our penetration and customer base across India.”

    Aventail’s SSL VPN is a scalable, enterprise class, clientless solution based on Aventail’s proven Smart SSL VPN platform. Aventail’s clustering and high availability support with load-balancing is an ideal solution for hundreds or thousands of users. The secure application platform is designed to provide practical, easy-to-use anywhere access to Web, client/server, and file shares from any device combined with simple manageability and usability. All of this makes it a clear alternative to IPSec-based VPNs. Many of Aventail’s customers worldwide are replacing legacy IPSec solutions with the Aventail SSL VPN in order to have one solution for all remote access scenarios.

    About Select Technologies

    Select Technologies is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of WeP Peripherals Limited (WeP). Select Technologies provides innovative Information Protection & Management Solutions and Services to Large Enterprises, Corporates and SMEs and is a ‘One Stop Solution House’ for market leading Information Protection and Management solutions. Select specializes in providing innovative and effective world class solutions through a strong and dedicated team of qualified and trained professionals to provide support services and training to partners and end users. Select conducts business through more than 238 NSI, RSI, Solution Providers & channel partners across the country focused on Information Protection and Management business and sustains relationship with over 5000 customers. Headquartered in Bangalore, Select has offices across the metros and major cities of the country. For more information, please visit: www.select-technologies.net

    About Aventail
    Aventail is the best-of-breed remote-access company. Aventail delivered the first SSL VPN solution in 1997 and today is a market leader, delivering the easiest to use and control remote-access solution. Aventail Smart SSL VPN appliances provide users with transparent, clientless access to more applications from more devices via any network environment. For network managers, Aventail delivers a single secure access gateway for all users, internal and external, to all network resources with complete security. With more than two million end users around the globe, Aventail is the SSL VPN of choice among mid to large-sized organizations worldwide, Some of Aventail’s customers in India include Wipro, Tesco, Marico, iGATE, ING Vyasa, i-flex, Times of India and ITC. For more information, go to www.aventail.com.

    Aventail, Aventail ST, Aventail Smart Access, Aventail Smart Tunneling, Aventail EPC, Aventail OnDemand, Aventail Connect, Aventail Secure Collaboration, Aventail EX-2500, EX-1500, Aventail EX-750, and their respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of Aventail Corporation. Other product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners and are mentioned for identification purposes only.

    Note: The information in Aventail press releases is accurate and current only as of the date posted. Aventail does not update the information once the release has been issued. To the extent any press release contains information that is not historical fact, that information is considered forward-looking. Aventail’s results may differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements.