ITV

Tag: E24

  • B. A. G. Films reports improved top and bottom lines

    BENGALURU: The Anurradha Prasad led B. A. G. Films and Media Limited (BAG Films) reported improved revenue and profit after tax (PAT) for the year ended 31 March 2017 (FY-17, current year or fiscal) as compared to fiscal 2016.

    Two of the company’s four segments – Television broadcasting and FM Radio reported increase in operating revenues and operating profits in the current year as compared to the previous year. Its Audio Visual production segment reported lower operating revenue and operating profits, while operating revenue and operating losses of its Leasing segment declined in fiscal 2017 as compared to fiscal 2016.

    The company’s income from operations or operating revenue increased 16.6 percent to Rs1,366.84 million in FY-17 to Rs 1,17241 million in the previous year. BAG Films reported PAT of Rs 8.43 million in FY-17 as compared to a loss of Rs 28.94 million in the previous year. Simple EBIDTA excluding other income increased 12.9 percent to Rs 319.34 million (23.4 percent of Operating Revnue) in FY-17 from Rs 282.76 million (24.1 percent of Operating Revenue).

    The company’s Total Expenses increased 13.1 percent to Rs 1,177.42 million (86.1 percent of Operating Revenue) in FY-17 from Rs 1,041.15 million (88.8 percent of Operating Revenue). Employee costs increased 4.3 percent in fiscal 2017 to Rs 209.90 million (15.3 percent of Operating Revenue) from Rs 200.35 million (17.1 percent of Operating Revenue) in the previous year. Other expenses increased 14.5 percent in FY-17 to Rs 814.64 million (59.6 percent of Operating Revenue) from Rs 711.52 million (60.7 percent of Operating Revenue) in FY-16. Finance costs increased 7.5 percent to Rs 163.5 million (12 percent of Operating Revenue) in the current year from Rs 152.16 million (13 percent of Operating Revenue) in the previous year.

    Segment Numbers

    BAG Films Television segment has three channels News 24, E24 and Darshan 24, while its Radio segment, Radio Dhamaal 24 operates 10 FM radio stations in the country.

    BAG Films biggest segment is its Television Broadcasting (TV) segment. TV segment’s operating revenue increased 22.9 percent in FY-17 to Rs1,126.05 million from Rs 916.56 million in FY-16. TV segment’s operating profit increased 33.2 percent in FY-17 to Rs 315.34 million from Rs 236.7 million in the previous fiscal.

    Audio Visual Production segment revenue for fiscal 2017 declined 20.3 percent to Rs 137.54 million from Rs 172.67 million in the previous fiscal. The segment’s operating revenue declined 42 percent to Rs 52.16 million from Rs 89.88 million in the previous year.

    FM Radio segment’s operating revenue increased 25.5 percent to Rs 100.75 million from Rs 80.26 million in the previous year. The segment’s operating profit more than doubled (increased by 2.5 times) to Rs 33.93 million from Rs 13.51 million.

    BAG Films Leasing segment revenue declined 14.1 percent in FY-17 to Rs 2.50 million from Rs 2.92 million in FY-16. Leasing segment operating loss reduced in FY-17 to Rs 31.97 million from a loss of Rs 38.38 million in the previous year.

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  • RK Arora joins News Nation as CEO

    RK Arora joins News Nation as CEO

    MUMBAI: In a major industry move, RK Arora, who is credited with building brands in the news broadcasting space, has been roped in as chief executive officer (CEO) of News Nation Network. He has a standout track record, result-oriented approach and has a deep understanding of the news ecosystem.

    He will report to the Board. Arora has an experience of 24 years and brings with him industry expertise and formidable credentials.

    In his new role, Arora will spearhead overall responsibility of strategic and operational management of News Nation Network and will oversee the Group’s portfolio of assets spanning news broadcasting.

    Arora was, until recently, a Group CEO of ITV Network and managed group’s six news channels –NewsX, India News and four regional news channels in the Hindi heartland and was instrumental in the company’s transformation and its unprecedented growth within a short span of two years. Prior to ITV Network, he was the CEO with BAG Network (News 24, E24 and Darshan 24). He was also associated with India TV since its inception.

    News Nation Network chairman Abhay Oswal said, “Arora’s illustrious track record make him an ideal choice to lead News Nation Network. He brings a unique combination of astute business acumen and in-depth industry knowledge. Arora has the vision, tenacity and integrity to ensure that News Nation Network will quickly become the success we expect it to be and we are committed to support him to strengthen the company’s leadership in the news genre.”

    On his appointment, Arora said, “I am delighted to be joining News Nation Network as chief executive officer as it moves into the next exciting phase of growth and development. I’ve watched News Nation Network’s impressive strides on both the programming front and in building a unique content network that is clearly unmatched in the marketplace. The company is in a perfect position to dramatically expand in the market and I’m thrilled to take on the role and be a part of the success of News Nation Network.”

  • E24 retains #1 position in terms of time spent in the Bollywood news genre

    E24 retains #1 position in terms of time spent in the Bollywood news genre

    MUMBAI: E24 is the No 1 channel among all Bollywood news channel in terms of time spent by viewers and the TAM data for Week 31 indicates that it topped with 19.6 minutes TSPV as compared to 14.5 minutes, recorded for Zoom. The higher numbers indicate that after switching to the channel, viewers have preferred to continuously watch the channel rather than frequently switching to other channels.

     
    The viewership of E 24 channel is rising rapidly because of Bollywood Reporter, E Special, Bollywood 20:20, U, Me & TV. The channel has recently introduced E24 News which has further broad-based entertainment news for all its viewers to include Hollywood news, TV news, fashion news & music news. E24 is updated five times a day. Sundays on E24 have three fresh weekly programmes between the peak band of 12 pm-2 pm:  Rising Stars, Sound of  Bollywood  & TV ke Peechey Kya Hai.

     

  • ‘BCCI rights great opportunity to build Star’s sports biz’ : Star India CEO Uday Shankar

    ‘BCCI rights great opportunity to build Star’s sports biz’ : Star India CEO Uday Shankar

    Just over a year old, UTV Stars is banking on revenue growth from advertising, syndication and distribution to achieve operational break even this fiscal.

     

    The launch of UTV Stars last August has expanded the Bollywood lifestyle TV genre, created by Zoom and E24. The core target audience of the channel is upscale youth in the age group of 15-24 years.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Javed Farooqui, UTV Stars business head Nikhil Gandhi talks about the channel‘s progress, its differentiated content and the challenges in the space.

     

    Excerpts:
     

    Does UTV Stars get a competitive advantage by being the child of Disney-UTV?
    We definitely have an edge as we have got a thriving motion pictures business. This allows us to do that much more compared to our competitors. Our access to the big Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor or a Hrithik Roshan is much easier. If you see the kind of news content that we create, we are credible.

     
    Since UTV Stars‘ sister arm also produces movies, doesn‘t that also present a conflict of interest while covering Bollywood news?
    Once you have established yourself as a credible player in the space, I don‘t think any star or film producer would think that there is a conflict of interest. They, in fact, would want to promote their films that much more. Moreover, our editor is Manish Dubey who was with Aaj Tak and has credible bondage with the movie stars. Also, our correspondents as well as special features editors have professional relationships with all the big superstars.

     
    Isn‘t differentiation very thin in this kind of genre?
    When we started, we positioned UTV Stars as the official channel of Bollywood. We were also known as being the intimate insider to Bollywood. We got all the big stars to endorse and that reflected in our launch campaign. We did a big chat show with Priety Zinta. We also did a show called ‘Live My Life‘ which is coming up for its second season after the channel‘s first anniversary on 19 August. Our channel is also available in High Definition, taking the viewing experience to a whole new level.

     
    How is your content mix different from other rival channels?
    On a daily basis, we have three and half hours of original content while the others offer three hours. So we have half-an-hour of additional content. This is largely because we have original long format shows, giving our channel a differentiated value. You won‘t see big ticket reality shows on other channels.

     

    We run Bollywood music and movies but news and shows form a large portion of our prime time content. We play music in non-prime time because the TG loves it and because Bollywood music lends itself well with the channel. 

     

    ‘On a daily basis, we have three and half hours of original content while the rival channels offer three hours. So we are half-an-hour of additional content‘
     

    How would you define your target group?
    We are in the youth space but have a definite skew towards Bollywood. In terms of demographics, our core target group is 15-24 SEC AB. Bollywood stars influence the youth of India a great deal. In that sense, the kind of content that we have created caters to the Indian youth. So even though Bollywood content cuts across age groups, we are going to focus on youth particularly after the kind of success that we have seen online.

     
    Could you elaborate on the online growth?
    We have almost half a million fans on Facebook. We are also the largest content provider for Bollywood content on YouTube and have already got 30 million views. We power the UTV group content engine on YouTube per se including UTV Motion Pictures. We have got 10,000 hours of content that we had shot last year. All this gives us a cutting edge.

     
    What is the break even period that you have set for yourself?
    We are looking at an operational break-even next year (FY‘ 13). With the kind of control that we have on our costs and if the markets start improving, we should be able to reach that milestone.
     

    What impact did ad slowdown have on your revenues?
    We experienced a bit of a volume loss but our big shows also get a premium. The advertising community is also appreciating the kind of content that we have been able to create and they are now talking to us for annual deals going forward.

      
    Who are your big advertisers?
    We have all the top advertisers that occupy the youth space. Like in FMCG, we have Hindustan Unilever, P&G and L‘Oreal. We run about 10 minutes of commercial in one hour of programming, which can go up to 12 minutes. 

     
    What are the major revenue streams for UTV Stars?
    Currently, ad revenues contribute 60-75 per cent of our overall revenues. But we would like to bring this down to 50-55 per cent and with digitisation we are hopeful that this shift will happen. We are also looking at syndication opportunities overseas as well as in India. We are already syndicating in-flight entertainment across big airlines. Our business model includes distribution, syndication, video on demand, ad revenue and on-ground events.

     
    You have been quite aggressive with on-ground properties?
    So far as ground connect goes, we have been able to rope in partners who are in the lifestyle and Bollywood space. So we had partnered People magazine to do the ‘People Best Dressed‘ show; we had also partnered Cosmopolitan to do ‘Free Fearless Awards‘. Besides, we also did ‘F1 After Parties‘ with Arjun Rampal.

     

    However, the biggest property we did was ‘Walk of the Stars‘ at Bandra Bandstand (Mumbai) where we had the biggest stars giving their hand impressions. It‘s like the Hollywood Walk of the Fame. We got the Walk of the Stars branded as UTV Walk of the Stars as a permanent structure and it has also got statues and benches of legendary stars from Raj Kapoor to Shammi Kapoor and now Rajesh Khanna. We are taking it to Delhi next year and it‘s going to be available at Kingdom of Dreams. We tied up with IIFA Awards this year and took this property to Singapore. 

     
    What big shows are on the anvil?
    There is ‘Nirma Lifestyle‘ season 2 that is coming up in the quarter beginning October. We have another show called ‘Gods of Style‘ coming up where we are going to showcase top 10 style icons in Bollywood. We have four more shows in the pipeline about which I can‘t reveal much at this stage.

     

  • ‘The Merrill Lynch deal has given us a Rs 5 billion valuation’ : MK Anand – Zoom business head

    ‘The Merrill Lynch deal has given us a Rs 5 billion valuation’ : MK Anand – Zoom business head

    After selling 25 per cent stake to Merrril Lynch for Rs 1.25 billion, Zoom is gearing up for more programme launches to race ahead of competition that has arrived in the form Showbiz and E24.

     

    Targeting upscale audiences, the channel from the Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL) Group has increased its dosage of Bollywood-centric prime time content with a slate of new shows. Aided by a rise in ratings, Zoom is eyeing a revenue of Rs 1 billion this fiscal.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Richa Dubey, Zoom business head MK Anand discusses the growth track of the channel and the need to push the Bollywood genre of content across different markets through the syndication route.

     

    Excerpts:

    Has Zoom Entertainment Network (ZEN) diluted 25 per cent stake to Merrill Lynch for Rs 1.25 billion?
    We got a valuation of Rs 5 billion when Merrill Lynch bought this stake in around May-June. We are utilising this amount to develop stronger content for the channel. Some of the new shows are already launched and we will gradually unveil a few more.

    Will you also not spend more on distribution as channels are finding it difficult to find space on choked analogue cable networks?
    We are content with our present distribution. We will be utilising the money only for new programmes.

    Why has Zoom shifted gear to Bollywood-centric shows?
    Getting viewers closer to celebrity life was the whole idea on which Zoom was launched. The metamorphosis happened when we realised that ‘celebrity’ as a word in India is congruent with Bollywood.

     

    Originally when we started, we were showing programmes based on popular influential people from all walks of life (corporate, sports, page 3). As we went along, we had to change and make it a Bollywood-centric channel because that is what people whom we target want to see. We tried to make the channel more holistic from the Bollywood point of view by showing many related things.

     

    Even our lifestyle shows are centred arround Bollywood. We will, for instance, not have a cookery show. But if a Bollywood actor likes some particular food, then we will show him cooking something. So we will always look for a Bollywood element in whatever we show.

    Was this metamorphosis dictated by the generic revenue limitations of a lifestyle channel?
    The lifestyle content on Zoom was always negligible compared to the glamour factor.

     

    Our programming budgets have definitely doubled over last year as our offerings have increased. Other than short form of content, we are now getting into longer formats which cost more.

     

    But it is also important to note that we operationally broken even last year. This has happened in just three years of our existence!

    Have advertisers been more supportive after Zoom shifted to a Bollywood-centric channel?
    When we launched, an advertiser could not classify us in any category because we were the first ones in the space. But now we have been substantially increasing our rates even while other channels were dropping theirs. This has been possible because we have an ad sales team which is bigger than what a channel of this size would normally have. As a group we are very ad-focussed.

     

    Our inventory is sold out. Some 300 clients must be active every year. We would be having 15-20 exclusive deals.
    ‘When we started, we were showing programmes based on popular people from all walks of life. As we went along, we made it a Bollywood-centric channel because that is what people whom we target want to see‘

    What is your revenue target this year?
    We are targeting Rs 1 billion this fiscal (August-July period). This is after taking into account revenues through ads, video ads and content syndication that we do with other broadcasters.

    Whom does Zoom compare with when you pitch to clients?
    We normally compare ourselves with Star Movies, MTV, HBO and 9XM.

     

    These are the players focussed on this TG (target group) – SEC AB 1 million+ in the age group 15-34.

    What are the positioning changes Zoom has undergone ever since its launch?
    The Times of India Group as a whole has affinity with the urban upscale English speaking audiences. That has always been the Group’s focus. Similarly when it came to TV, we decided not to go for a mass channel and invest heavily in it. Instead, we thought of launching something for the particular audience we have affinity with.

     

    So we launched a channel catering to 1 million+ cities of India. Our weekly reach has gone up from 15-20 per cent in mid-2006 to 36 per cent this year.

     

    As a brand we promised to deliver glamour and we have done that successfully. In terms of brand proposition, we have evolved in terms of our offerings.

    How do you see Bollywoood evolving as a genre?
    Bollywood shows are still evolving as a genre. It is the most popular content, after fiction shows and movies. Even news channels have special shows centred arround Bollywood.

     

    We position ourselves as a generic channel for Bollywood.

    How does Zoom source content?
    We have a reporting team of about 40 people. They continuously shoot and get stories on Bollywood related stuff which is archived. That is the main store for us and we take footage from there and develop shows.

     

    Our in house team uses them to produce shows like Zabar 10, Planet Bollywood. Besides, we also have external production houses which make shows for us. Bollywood Club is done by Optimystix, Bollywood Case Files is done by Moving Pictures Company. We give our archived stuff to them as well.

    What is the movie acquisition strategy?
    For the movies that we telecast, we acquire them from other channels or producers for limited airings.

    What is the prime time on Zoom?
    Advertisers identify prime time from 5 pm in the evening till 1 am. But from the viewers point of view, it lasts from 7 pm – 9:30 pm, the time band where we have launched our new shows. Our core prime time would be 8-9 pm where we will launch stronger shows.

    Zoom also provides shows to other channels. How strong is this business?
    Yes, we do shows for other channels. We have realised that the bank that we have is more than what we can use. So why not commercially exploit our content further?

     

    We have not approached any Hindi channel, but we have some channels in the regional space who use our content. We have given our shows to ETV and Sun Network.

     

    We also have two deals in Pakistan. We are doing a one-hour show for Safron TV in South Africa.
    Will this not kill the exclusivity element on your channel?
    Zoom enjoys more channel loyality as far as Bollywood content is concerned. We have a first mover advantage in the genre. We also have exclusive coverage. Besides, we can leverage exclusive tie ups which Bombay Times has with others.

    What are the digital initiatives Zoom has undertaken?
    We are looking at opportunities in the digital space. Our channel is made up of short form of content. Say three stories of four minutes each are clubbed in a half-hour episode. If we unstring these episodes and put these videos on internet, they become easy to download.

     

    These small videos are more popular than the longer format due to lower streaming capacity in India. We unbundle the entire episode and put these videos on our site.

     

    For further promoting them, we have started putting these videos on other websites. We realised that there was an opportunity in syndicating Bollywood content. This has, in fact, increased traffic on our video online content.

     

    Realising the importance of this, we are looking at synergies now. We have an ad sales deal with these websites. We also promote our other shows through these videos. This makes the marketing of our shows easier and consumption increases.

    Which are these websites?
    Rediff iShare, Yahoo, Youtube and Nautanki TV. They have good traffic and for us they become a platform to share our shows.

     

    We have an ad sales contract with all of them.
    How big a challenge is distribution?
    Distribution is key to the business. But since we also have the consumer pull factor, cable operators will find it difficult to dislodge us from their networks. The Bollywood genre is also expanding with other channel launches. In another 18 months, we can expect the genre to develop and be widely accepted.
  • Lizo Mzimba is BBC News entertainment correspondent

    Lizo Mzimba is BBC News entertainment correspondent

    MUMBAI: BBC has announced that Newsround presenter and reporter Lizo Mzimba has been appointed entertainment correspondent for BBC News. In this new, specialist role Lizo will be reporting on all aspects of the entertainment world for all BBC News outlets including the BBC News Channel, bbc.co.uk/entertainmentnews and the new weekend entertainment programme E24.

    Mzimba said, “I’m thrilled to be taking on this new challenge for BBC News and I am really excited about the opportunities my new role will bring. Working on Newsround has been a huge privilege with some great experiences and I truly hope the young people who have been with me throughout my career there will still continue to watch, listen and read the stories I’ll be covering in my new role.”

    Lizo has been a key member of the Newsround team over the past decade – he has reported on major stories from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina and has interviewed figures from JK Rowling to Madonna.

    BBC UK News editor Gary Smith said, “Lizo is a great communicator with a passion for entertainment news. In his time at Newsround he’s built strong connections with younger audiences. These links will be really important across all our News platforms when he starts this new role.”