ITV

Tag: Ebitda

  • Videocon d2h eyes 35-40% EBITDA growth at Rs 8.6 billion in FY-2016

    Videocon d2h eyes 35-40% EBITDA growth at Rs 8.6 billion in FY-2016

    MUMBAI: Driven by strong subscriber growth momentum and improving average revenue per user (ARPU), Indian direct-to-home (DTH) company Videocon d2h is expecting EBITDA to be in the range of Rs 8.2 – 8.6 billion in FY-2016, which translates to approximately 35-40 per cent growth over EBITDA in the fiscal year ended 31 March, 2015.

     

    As was earlier reported by Indiantelevision.com, Videocon d2h is also planning to increase its monthly subscription rates in the range of Rs 12 – 23 per month.

     

    The company maintains its current first half of the fiscal year ending 31 March, 2016 guidance of 25-30 per cent period on period growth of EBITDA, and is guiding towards 40-45 per cent period on period growth in the second half of the fiscal year ending 31 March, 2016.

     

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “We are pleased to provide strong EBITDA growth guidance for fiscal year 2016. This is driven by strong subscriber growth momentum, improving ARPU and further benefit of operating leverage. We remain excited about our long term subscriber growth prospects as a result of the government mandated move to digitalisation. We have positioned ourselves to take advantage of the 100 million subscriber homes opportunity for the industry over the next four to five years.”

  • Q1-2016: Dish TV q-o-q PAT up 55%, adds 390K net subscribers

    Q1-2016: Dish TV q-o-q PAT up 55%, adds 390K net subscribers

    BENGALURU: Last fiscal and quarter (year and quarter ended 31 March, 2015, Q4-2015), the Subhash Chandra led Essel groups DTH operator Dish TV Limited (Dish TV) turned the corner with a consolidated PAT of Rs 3.14 crore and Rs 34.94 crore (margin 4.8 per cent) respectively. 

     

    Dish TV was probably the first among listed DTH companies in the country in FY-2015 and Q4-2015 to report a profit after tax as opposed to the operating profits reported by a segment of the other goliaths for whom DTH services is just another small segment.

     

    This quarter (quarter ended 30 June, 2015, Q1-2016), the company has reported 55.2 per cent higher PAT at Rs 54.21 (margin 7.4 per cent) as compared to the above mentioned PAT in Q4-2015. The company had reported a loss of Rs 14.97 crore in Q1-2015.

     

    Note:  (1)100,00,000 = 100 Lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

     

    (2) With effect from April 1, 2015, Dish TV says that it has started netting-off certain collection fees paid to its trade partners from its topline. This has resulted in the company’s topline getting shrunk by around 4 percent, with a similar number being decreased from the middle line. The values for the prior comparative periods have also been recast to reflect the same.

     

    (3) Dish TV recently transferred its non-core business (including set-top boxes, dish antenna and related services) to its wholly owned subsidiary Dish Infra Services Private Limited (formerly known as Xingmedia Distribution Private Limited) on April 1, 2015 on a going concern basis. The Company today reported its maiden consolidated quarterly numbers.

     

    The company reported addition of 3,90,000 net subscribers in Q1-2016, taking its total subscriber base to 1.33 crore as on 30 June, 2015. Post consolidation, Dish TV says that Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) was Rs 173 versus Rs 172 (q-o-q) in Q4-2015. ARPU however would have been Rs 180, as compared to Rs 179 in Q4-2015, without the effect of consolidation. The company reported consolidated subscription revenues at Rs. 628.88 crore, up 20.6 percent y-o-y.

     

    The company reported 0.9 per cent higher consolidated net total Income from Operations (TIO) in the current quarter at Rs 736.68 crore as compared to the Rs 729.93 crore in the immediate trailing quarter and was 19.2 per cent more than the Rs 618.04 crore in Q1-2015.

     

    Dish TV chairman Subhash Chandra said, “Dish TV has been actively contributing to the ‘Digital India’ movement by digitizing analog TV homes in DAS phase 3 and 4 markets and remains optimistic about its prospects to acquire a substantial share in these markets. Continuing its focus on growth with profitability, the company delivered another quarter of encouraging financial results.”

     

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Dish TV

     

    Dish TV total expenditure in Q1-2016 at Rs 659.69 crore (89.5 per cent of TIO) was 0.7 percent lower than the Rs 664.08 crore (91 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2015 and was 8.7 per cent more than the Rs 606.80 crore (98.2 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015.

     

    A major expense head is programming /content and other costs (content costs). In Q1-2016 content cost at Rs 212.01 crore (28.8 per cent of TIO) was 2.1 per cent more than the Rs 207.62 crore (28.4 per cent of TIO) and was 5.3 per cent more than the Rs 201.39 crore (32.6 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015.

     

    Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in Q1-2016 at Rs 34.67 crore (4.7 per cent of TIO) was 39.7 per cent more than the Rs 24.81 crore (3.4 per cent of TIO) an was 34.8 per cent more than the Rs 25.72 crore (4.2 per cent of TIO) in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel said, “Our first quarter results are in line with the success of our regional and high definition (HD) strategy. Our regional offering, Zing, would soon be launched in Kerala and would carry the largest cache of vernacular channels offered in that market. Zing cemented Dish TV’s supremacy in the DAS Phase 3 and 4 markets with custom-made content, hardware and service packages for the regional audience. High definition continues to be a value driver and a key differentiator for us compared to other DTH offerings in India. Dish TV’s industry leading bandwidth capacity supports 42 HD channels, the largest on offer by any distribution platform so far.”

     

    “Led by robust subscriber additions and an improving ARPU, subscription revenues for the quarter increased 20.6 per cent over the corresponding quarter last fiscal. EBITDA of Rs 2,368 million recorded a significant 51.3 per cent jump over the corresponding quarter. Net Profit for the quarter was Rs 54.2 crore compared to a loss of Rs 15 crore in the first quarter last fiscal. The resultant free cash flow was Rs 68.9 crore. Amid improving financial performance, churn for the quarter remained steady at 0.7 per cent per month,” added Goel.

  • Cisco sells set-top-box biz to Technicolor for $600 million

    Cisco sells set-top-box biz to Technicolor for $600 million

    MUMBAI: Cisco has sold its set-top-box (STB) business to Technicolor for $600 million in a cash and stock transaction.

     

    The board of directors of the two companies will review the deal, which will be on a cash free, debt free basis.

     

    Under the terms of the agreement, upon the closing of the transaction, Cisco will receive approximately $450 million in cash and approximately $150 million in newly issued Technicolor shares, subject to certain adjustments provided for in the agreement.

     

    The acquisition should result in Technicolor’s connected home segment reaching adjusted EBITDA in excess of $219 million by year end 2016 and best-in-class profitability by 2017. The transaction will also translate into double-digit EPS accretion at Group level starting in the first full year after closing.

     

    Simultaneously to the acquisition, Technicolor and Cisco will enter into a strategic partnership that will allow both companies to develop and deliver next generation video and broadband technologies, with cooperation on Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and services. The strategic agreement will provide ongoing commitment to all existing customers and expand offerings.

     

    By combining their strengths and leading video expertise, from content creation to in-home delivery, the two companies will accelerate innovation and forge a leading entity that network service providers can rely on for their next generation connected home experiences.

     

    Technicolor and Cisco also have signed a long-term patent cross-licensing agreement that covers specific intellectual property and patents from both companies. As part of the deal and after the transaction has closed of Cisco senior vice president and chief strategy officer Hilton Romanski, will join Technicolor’s Board of Directors.

     

    Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose said, “We know that video expertise is essential to the future of creating outstanding network and home infrastructure products and services. Through this acquisition and strategic agreement, Technicolor can immediately bring its unrivalled experience and innovation in video creation, delivery, and display to more customers in more geographies, while strengthening our position as a technology leader.”

     

    “The strategic relevance of video to every consumer, business, city and country around the world is only growing, and the market is moving rapidly. This is the right time and we have the right company in Technicolor to drive the future of the CPE business to deliver what our customers and partners need, today and into the future. At Cisco, we are prioritizing our investments to deliver on our strategy of video in the cloud, and will partner with Technicolor to position the CPE business and employees for future success,” added Cisco CEO and chairman John Chambers.

     

    The $452 million cash portion of the consideration will be financed through cash-on-hand and fully-underwritten new debt with an anticipated limited impact on Technicolor’s leverage position.

  • Q2-2015: Airtel Digital TV y-o-y revenue grows 23 per cent, subscriber base up 11.3 per cent

    Q2-2015: Airtel Digital TV y-o-y revenue grows 23 per cent, subscriber base up 11.3 per cent

    BENGALURU: India headquartered communications giant Bharti Airtel Limited (Airtel)’s digital TV (DTH) segment reported a y-o-y growth in Q2-2015 (current quarter) in revenue of 23 per cent to Rs 626.3 crore as compared to the year ago revenue of Rs 507.2 crore. Q-o-q, the company reported a growth of 5.4 per cent from Rs 591.5 crore. For HY-2015, revenue at Rs 1217.8 crore was 22 per cent more than the Rs 997.2 crore in HY-2014.

     

    Note:  100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 crore = 1 crore.

     

    EBITDA for the quarter increased to Rs 152.9 crore as compared to Rs 64.6 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. EBITDA margin improved significantly to 24.4 per cent in the current quarter, as compared to a margin of 12.7 per cent in the corresponding quarter last year.

     

    During the current quarter, the Company incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 225.5 crore. Cash burn during the quarter at Rs 72.6 crore has increased, compared to Rs 39.6 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, primarily on account of seasonal build-up of boxes says the company.

     

    Subscription numbers:

     

    The company reported a 1.6 per cent increase in subscriber base to 9.54 million in Q2-2015 from 9.388 million in Q1-2015 and 11.3 per cent more than the 8.572 million in Q2-2014.

     

    Net subscriber additions for the quarter dipped 60 per cent to 151,000 from 376000 in Q1-2015, but was 11 per cent more than the 120,000 subscribers added in the corresponding year ago quarter Average revenue per quarter (arpu) in Q2-2015 was 3 per cent more at Rs 220 from Rs 214 in Q1-2015 and 11 per cent more than Rs 198 in Q2-2014. Monthly churn in Q2-2015 was higher than the 0.6 per cent in Q1-2015 and 1 per cent in Q2-2014.

     

    Bharti Airtel’s consolidated highlights for the second quarter ended September 30, 2014

     

    Customer base crossed mark of 30 crore and stands at 30.37 crore across 20 countries, up 8.4 per cent y-o-y.

     

    Consolidated total revenues at Rs 22,845 crore, up by 7.1 per cent y-o-y.

     

    India revenues up 12.3 per cent; Africa revenues (in local currency) up 6.4 per cent y-o-y.

     

    Consolidated Mobile Data revenue at Rs 2,540 crore, up by 66.7 per cent y-o-y; growth across geographies.

     

    Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 7,705 crore, up by 12.1 per cent Y-o-y, EBITDA margin up 1.5 per cent y-o-y.

     

    India EBITDA margin at 38.3 per cent, up by 3.2 per cent y-o-y.

     

    Net Income at Rs 1,383 crore, up by 170.2 per cent y-o-y.

  • Airtel DTH Q3-2014 yoy EBITDA up fivefolds; revenue up 26%; improved Arpu

    Airtel DTH Q3-2014 yoy EBITDA up fivefolds; revenue up 26%; improved Arpu

    BENGALURU: The DTH segment of India’s largest mobile services provider Airtel DTH reported earnings before interest taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of Rs 97 crore for Q3-2014, 560 per cent more than the Rs 14.7 crore during Q3-2013 and 50.4 per cent more than the Rs 64.5 crore during the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Airtel’s DTH segment reported a 25.8 per cent growth in revenue during Q3-2014 at Rs 538.4 crore as compared to the Rs 428 crore during Q3-2013 and 6.15 per cent more than the Rs 507.2 crore during Q2-2014.

     

    Overall, Arpu (Average revenue per user) improved by 11.29 per cent to Rs 207 during Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 186 during Q3-2013 and was 4.55 per cent more than the Rs 198 during the immediate preceding quarter.

     

    The segment reported a 11.57 per cent y-o-y growth in total number of subscribers during Q3-2014 to 88.07 lakhs (100 lakhs = I crore = 1,00,00,000) with a net addition of 2.35 lakh new subscribers and a monthly churn of 0.8 per cent. During the corresponding period of last fiscal, the DTH segment had reported a subscriber base of 78.94 lakh with a net addition of 4.39 lakh and a monthly churn of 1.3 per cent. Corresponding figures for Q2-2014 were q-o-q growth of 2.74 per cent as compared to the 85.72 lakh customers in Q2-2013, with net addition of 1.2 lakh and a monthly churn of 1 per cent.

     

    Airtel DTH segment’s EBIT figures, though negative, also improved. The segment reported a Q3-2014 EBIT of Rs (-108.1) crore, which was 46.9 per cent better than the Q3-2013 EBIT of Rs (-182.8) crore and 26.7 per cent better than the Q2-2014 EBIT of Rs (-147.3) crore.

     

    Though the DTH segment contributed just 3.73 per cent to Bharti Airtel’s India revenues of Rs 14,443 crore during Q3-2014, the company invested 6.37 per cent of its capex spends of Rs 1742 crore in India.

     

    The company invested Rs 110.9 crore in capex for the DTH segment during Q3-2014, this figure was 17.91 per cent lower than the Rs 135.1 crore during Q3-2013, but 6.43 per cent more than the Rs 104.2 crore invested on capex in Q2-2014.

     

    Consequently, the company’s Operating free cash flow (EBITDA-Capex), though negative, improved more than eight fold (8.66 ties) to Rs (-13.9) crore in Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs (-120.4 crore) in Q3-2013 and by almost three times (2.85 times) the Rs (-39.7) crore during Q2-2014.

     

    Click here for full report

  • Q2-2014 Den Networks reports 35 per cent higher y-o-y cable revenues

    Q2-2014 Den Networks reports 35 per cent higher y-o-y cable revenues

    BENGALURU: Indian cable TV distribution company Den Networks Limited (Den Networks) continues to rake in the moolah with 32.4 per cent higher total revenue of Rs 271.88 crore for Q2-2014 as compared to the Rs 205.26 crore for Q2-2013 and almost flat (1.8 per cent higher) as compared to the Rs 268.69 crore for Q1-2014. The company reported a 35 per cent y-o-y jump in cable revenue for Q2-2014 at Rs 258.93 crore as compared to the Rs 192.51 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year (Q2-2013).

     

    Note:  
    Den Network claims that on account of a reporting policy change, w.e.f. Q2-2014, all revenue figures exclude ‘Other Income’ which is reported separately after EBITDA, and that past period figures have also been adjusted to this effect to make it comparable. Variance/s has/have been observed between the company’s investor updates of Q1-2014 and Q2-2014 and the statements filed by the company with the stock exchanges. The differences, if any between the financial analysis for Q1-2014 and Q2-2014 must be attributed to the varied accounting methodology/communications by the company. The current analysis is being done based on the updates for Q2-2014 received.

     

    The company reported a 35 per cent y-o-y jump in cable revenue for Q2-2014 at Rs 258.93 crore as compared to the Rs 192.51 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year (Q2-2013) on the back of strong growth in subscription revenues and higher placement revenues despite lower activation revenues in the current quarter.

     

    Q-o-q, the company’s investor update for Q2-2014 says that its cable business revenue was almost the same as the Rs 256.41 crore for Q1-2014, a figure that is Rs 6.44 crore (about 2.45 per cent) lower than the Rs 262.85 crore the company had reported in its Q1-2014 investor update (ref Note above).

     

    The company says that it has deployed about four lakh set top boxes (STBs) during Q2-2014 and claims a digital subscriber base of around five million in DAS phase I and II cities and about eight million analogue subscribers in DAS phase III and IV markets.

     

    Further, Den Networks believes that the next big opportunity after full digitisation of cable TV is offering high speed broadband services to its subscribers. The company announced plans to launch its broadband service offering by late Q4, FY 2013-14 (February 2014).

     

    Let us look at the other Q2-2014 figures announced by Den Networks

     

    The company has reported breakup of its cable revenue as Rs 99.11 crore as subscription revenue, Rs 119.90 crore as placement revenue and Rs 29.43 crore as digital activation revenue.

     

    Den Network’s consolidated EBITDA for Q2 -2014 was Rs 87.70 crore vs. Rs 38.73 crore in Q2-2013, a 126 per cent leap y-o-y, and eight per cent higher than the Rs 80.94 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Correspondingly, its cable business EDITDA for Q2-2014 at Rs 85.05 crore was 134 per cent higher than the Rs 36.36 crore for Q2-2013 and seven per cent higher than the Rs 79.39 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Consolidated PAT at Rs 11.18 crore for Q2-2014 was up by about 10 per cent higher as compared to the PAT of Rs 10.15 crore for Q1-2014. The company says that its cable business PAT stood at Rs 9.64 crore for Q2-2014.

     

    Consolidated expense at Rs 224.13 crore for Q2-2014 was 21.54 per cent higher than the Rs 184.66 crore for Q2-2013, and 2.3 per cent lower than the Rs 229.69 crore for Q1-2014. Den Network paid 18.4 per cent more towards content cost at Rs 90.54 crore for Q2-2014 as compared to the Rs 76.5 crore in Q2-2013 and the 6.5 per cent higher than the Rs 85.01 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    Depreciation and amortisation cost at Rs 37.04 crore for Q2-2013 was more than double (2.14 times) the Rs 17.29 crore for Q2-2013 and 11.47 per cent higher than the Rs 33.23 crore for Q1-2014. Den Networks has reported a foreign exchange loss of Rs 5.96 crore in its cable business for 2-2014.
    Den Networks claims that there is a significant demand for its digital cable services in its existing Phase III and IV markets. The pace of seeding is expected to pick up in the next few months. It also says that it is witnessing a lot of interest from smaller players (MSOs and LCOs) from Phases III and IV areas looking to align themselves with it and is receiving several such requests on a regular basis.

  • Twitter: Strong IPO, followed by even stronger opening

    Twitter: Strong IPO, followed by even stronger opening

    MUMBAI: It began with a tweet on its twitter handle which stated: “We just priced our IPO.” Attached with the tweet was a screen shot of the offering announcement.

    And by the time Wednesday 6 November ended, the social networking site that has become a phenomenon across the globe had managed to raise $2.09 billion from its IPO, making it the seventh-largest US tech IPO ever, just ahead of Google, which raised $1.92 billion in its 2004 stock market debut, according to some estimates.

    But there was more in store for stockmarket observers and investors as trading began on Thursday morning. The Twitter share – under the TWTR ticker – spurted 90 plus per cent in value as it soared to $45 per share during early trades and then to a high of $50. This took up the valuation of the firm to $25 billion or 32 billion or so, at the time of writing.

    Yesterday’s $26 price valued the microblogging service at $18.34 billion, on a fully diluted basis. That is 16 to 17 times forecast 2014 sales, a premium to rivals including Facebook, LinkedIn and Yelp, according to some analysts.

    Twitter set an early price range of $17 to $20 for its IPO, which was considered cautious. But there was strong interest from investors, and the company was selling just 70 million of its 545 million shares, leaving an imbalance between supply and demand. That allowed the company and its bankers, led by Goldman Sachs’ Anthony Noto, to raise the range to $23 to $25 and then pick a final price above that.

     

    Analysts felt that the price should have been in the $21 range but the final pricing zipped past that. Other analyst and stock watchers had predicted that the share would go past the $40 market during day one’s trading. The IPO was as much as 30 times over-subscribed.

    While Twitter has a broad and powerful influence, its service is sometimes tricky to understand and use, which has reportedly limited the company’s growth. Twitter has about 230 million users, including heads of state and celebrities, while Facebook has more than one billion.

    However, Twitter lost $65 million in the latest quarter.

    Twitter is expected to generate $1.24 billion in sales in 2015, according to some projections. Its adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) margins will be roughly 6.5 per cent this year and 8.4 per cent in 2014, according to IPO underwriter forecasts that were shared with investors. In 2015, margins may jump to about 16 per cent, the estimates suggest.

    During an interview given to CNBC, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is believed to have said that investors should not be concerned about the company’s current lack of profits, since its part of a plan to invest for the long term.

    It looks like the investment community and public is buying his story for now – at least.

  • Q2-2014: ZMCL holds ground despite economic downturn

    Q2-2014: ZMCL holds ground despite economic downturn

    BENGALURU: Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) unaudited results for Q2-2014 reveal that though advertising revenue for Q2-2014 at Rs 59.92 crore showed a growth of 20.5 per cent as compared to the Rs 43.92 crore for Q2-2013, it kept pace with the Rs 59.9 crore for the immediate preceding quarter (Q1-2014). ZMCL’s advertising revenue in Q4-2013 was Rs 52.19 crore.

     

    “The economy may have sputtered a bit but it is expected to be on track soon. What is important is that we continue to base our strategy on a sound understanding of our consumers and provide them with relevant and unique content experiences in the news domain,” said ZMCL non executive chairman of the board Subash Chandra.

     

     Let us take a look at ZMCL’s other Q2-2014 figures

     

    Operating revenue for Q2-2014 grew by 18.5 per cent to Rs 83.02 crore from Rs 70.03 crore in Q2-2013 and by 6.9 per cent from the Rs 77.68 crore reported in Q1-2014 (immediate preceding quarter).  

     

    ZMCL’s subscription revenue for Q2-2014 at Rs 24.9 crore grew by 11.9 per cent y-o-y from the Rs 22.26 crore in Q2-2013, and by 18.6 per cent from the Rs 18.6 crore in Q1-2014. Revenue from Other Sales and Services for Q2-2014 at Rs 5.2 crore grew more than a third (35.1 per cent) as compared to the Rs 3.85 crore in Q2-2013 and by 37.6 per cent as compared to the Rs 3.78 crore in Q1-2014.  

     

    Total expense at Rs 75.54 crore for Q2-2014 was 21.5 per cent more than the Rs 62.17 crore for Q2-2013 and 10.5 per cent more than the Rs 68.37 crore in Q1-2014.https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif

     

     ZMCL’s recorded a fall in PBT of (-7.8 per cent) to Rs 6.47 crore in Q2-2014 from Rs 7.02 crore in Q2-2013. However PBT of Rs 14.99 crore for the half year ended 30 September 2013 was higher by 35.8 per cent as compared to the PBT of Rs 11.04 crore for the corresponding period of the previous year. Q2-2014 EBITDA also fell by (-4.8 per cent) to Rs 74.8 crore from Rs 78.6 crore reported in Q2-2013. However, ZMCL says that its existing news channels grew their EBITDA by 25.2 per cent on YTD basis at Rs 30.83 crore improving their EBITDA margins from 18.6 per cent to 21 per cent.

     

    Added Chandra, “Our company has embarked to consolidate our news media presence by bringing together our television, print and internet content under a single umbrella. This will enable us to reach out to our consumers in seamless and anytime, anywhere mode. Our commitment to grow larger in size, impact and shareholder value remains as is and we continue to take steps towards the same.”

     

    ZMCL group CEO news cluster Bhaskar Das said, “We launched Zee Rajasthan Plus in Rajasthan in early July and will soon launch in other regional markets. Furthermore with sustained push for cable digitisation, we expect more and more of our viewers to get associated with us. New media, which has been another focus area for us, has continued to show strong growth numbers.”

     

    ZMCL whole time director Alok Agarwal said, “Our network wide initiative Bharat Bhagya Vidhata has received tremendous feedback and social media engagement from the viewers, thinkers and the political fraternity alike by reaching a sum total of over 100 million television viewers cumulatively  and having over 11.5 million reach for #BBV  for the campaign. In addition we continue to leverage our network synergies to create further operational efficiencies in gathering and packaging our content and at the same time grow our revenues by providing creative sales solutions to our clients.”

  • Siti Cable’s Q1-2014 losses almost quintuple Q1-2013 losses

    Siti Cable’s Q1-2014 losses almost quintuple Q1-2013 losses

    BENGALURU: Siti Cable Network Limited (Siti Cable), the erstwhile Wire and Wireless (India) Limited, reported for Q1-2014 a negative PAT of Rs 27.07 crore, almost five times (467 per cent) the negative PAT of Rs 4.77 crore the company had reported during the corresponding quarter (Q1-2013) last year.

     

    However, Siti Cable’s consolidated operating profit (EBITDA) for Q1-2014 was Rs 31.18 crore as compared to Rs 27.74 crore during corresponding quarter last fiscal, showing a 12.4 per cent growth.

     

    Siti Cable paid Rs 61.80 crore towards carriage sharing, pay channel and related costs during Q1-2014 as compared to NIL during Q1-2013 and Q4-2013. The cable service provider had paid Rs 234.345 crore towards this expense head during FY-2013.

     

    Let us look at some of the other results for Q1-2014

     

    Operating revenue in Siti Cable’s case is primarily generated from subscriber related income especially from Digitisation, income from bandwidth charges, income from advertisements, STB activation charges and other operating revenues.

     

    The company reported a 27 per cent growth in consolidated revenues to Rs 144.29 crore for Q4-2014 as compared to Rs 113.5 crore for Q1-2013. Siti Cable’s consolidated revenues for Q1-2014 were slightly lower (2.1 per cent) than the Rs 147.44 crore reported for Q4-2013.

     

    Siti Cable’s main operating expenses include cost of goods and services, employees’ cost, selling and distribution expenses and other expenditure. Its major cost item was cost of goods and services recorded as Rs 77.83 crore during the quarter representing 54 per cent of the total revenue in comparison to Rs 60.04 crore in Q1-2014, representing 53 per cent of the total revenue. Another major cost item was Foreign Exchange Fluctuation due to Rupee devaluation during the Q1-2014, which has been recorded by Rs 5.11 crore.

     

    Total operating costs for Q1-2014 at Rs 113.1 crore (78 per cent of consolidated revenues for Q1-2014) were higher by 32 per cent than the Rs 857.6 crore (76 per cent of consolidated revenues for Q1-2013) for the corresponding quarter last year, and were 6.9 per cent lower than the total operating costs of Rs 121.42 crore reported for Q4-2013.

     

    Employee benefit costs for Q1-2014 at Rs 9.11 crore, though two per cent lower than the Rs 9.29 crore reported for Q4-2013, were 17.3 per cent higher than the Rs 7.69 crore reported for the corresponding quarter last year (Q1-2013).

     

    Other expenses for Q1-2014 at Rs 39.90 crore also saw a steep reduction of 48.3 per cent as compared to the Rs 77.18 crore in Q1-2013 and were lower by 67 per cent than the Rs 121.12 crore during Q4-2013.

     

    Siti Cable paid Rs 26.13 crore towards finance cost for Q1-2014, 48 per cent more than the Rs 17.57 crore it paid in Q1-2013, but 15.4 per cent lower than the Rs 30.9 crore it paid in Q4-2013.

     

    Siti Cable chairman Subhash Chandra said, “The on-going digital revolution in Indian cable television distribution industry is set to bring in all round gains for the entire industry value chain. Digitisation will transform the way television is seen, consumed and marketed. For customers, digitisation brings an enhanced viewing experience, expanded channel pool, power to choose and pay only for the chosen channels. For MSOs like Siti Cable, the digitisation will bring digitally addressable consumer base leading to higher revenues and profitability.”

     

    Despite uncertain environment Siti Cable has done well in this quarter and has driven higher revenue through relentless focus on operational excellence. Siti Cable is EBITDA positive in this quarter as well, which clearly indicates continuing growth path”, Chandra said.

     

    Siti Cable executive director and CEO V D Wadhwa said, “Our focus area is to increase the collection of monthly subscription revenues from the ground. We made healthy progress in metros cities where we are present. We are far ahead of other operators in terms of subscriber wise billing and collection. In phase-II cities the collection are likely to improve in coming quarters. We have also collected significant numbers of Subscriber Application form (SAF) and Channel/Package selection form from Delhi & Mumbai.”

     

    Wadhwa added, “Digitisation marks the beginning of an organised and professional way of conducting business and opens up possibilities of multiplier revenues from television and numerous value added services (VAS). The encouraging growth trends make us more confident of further accelerating the growth momentum and serving the cable TV viewing needs of many more million Indians on Siti Cable Network.”

     

  • Q1-2014: Den Networks continues to rake in the moolah albeit with some hiccups

    Q1-2014: Den Networks continues to rake in the moolah albeit with some hiccups

    BENGALURU: Indian cable TV distribution company Den Networks Limited (Den Networks) seems to be on a roll. Its cable business PBT in Q1-2014 was Rs 32.77 crore despite a 22 per cent rise in depreciation and finance costs as against Rs 36.81 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Den Networks cable business PBT in Q1-2014 was Rs 32.77 crore as compared to Rs 18.40 crore in Q1-2013, up 78 per cent y-o-y. The company’s PAT (before mark to market forex losses, exceptional one-time and ESOP expense) for Q1-2014 was Rs 19.22 crore versus Rs 17.04 crore in Q1-2013, a 13 per cent rise as compared to Q4-2013. After these adjustments, Den Networks cable business PAT stood at Rs 9.22 crore.

     

    Den Networks cable business EBITDA for Q1-2014 was Rs 85.84 crore as against. Rs 43.82 crore in Q1-2013, a 96 per cent y-o-y jump, and was seven per cent more than the Rs 80.33 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    The company’s consolidated EBITDA for Q1-2014 was Rs 87.68 crore, almost double (up by 95 per cent) the Rs 45.06 crore in Q1-2013, but only 3.22 per cent more than the Rs 84.94 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Let us look at Den Networks other figures for Q1-2014

     

    Den Networks’ consolidated revenue for Q1-2014 was Rs 275.42 crore as compared to the Rs 200.60 crore in Q1-2013, up by 37 per cent y-o-y, but was slightly lower (by 1.04 per cent) than the Rs 278.31 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    The cable distribution company’s consolidated PBT for Q1-2014 was Rs 34.49 crore while consolidated PAT for the quarter stood at Rs 10.15 crore which included the impact of mark-to-market forex losses of Rs 10 crore and higher depreciation and finance costs compared to Q4-2013.

     

    Den Networks cable business revenue for Q1- 2014 was Rs 262.85 crore as compared to the Rs 264.93 crore in Q4-2013. Revenues in Q4-2013 included Rs 15.10 crore on account of a one-time sale of Set Top Boxes (STBs). Excluding the impact of this sale, Den Networks cable business revenues grew by 5.2 per cent q-o-q (as compared to Q4-2013).

     

    Den Networks’ consolidated expenditure for Q1-2014 at Rs 187.74 crore was up 20.9 per cent as compared to the Rs 155.54 crore in Q1-2013, but was 2.9 per cent lower than the Rs 193.37 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    Consolidated operation, administrative and other costs for Q1-2014 at Rs 160.70 crore were up 20.4 per cent as compared to the Rs 133.52 crore in Q1-2013 but 2.4 per cent lower than the Rs 164.68 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Den Networks consolidated Personnel cost for Q1-2014 at Rs 27.04 crore was 28 per cent more than the Rs 22.02 crore for Q1-2013, but 5.75 per cent lower than the Rs 28.69 crore in Q4-2013. Consolidated depreciation for Q1-2014 at Rs 33.22 crore was more than double (more by 113.5 per cent) as compared to the Rs 15.56 crore in Q1-2013 and 21.8 percent higher than the Rs 27.27 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Consolidated interest and other financial charges of Rs 19.97 crore were more than double the Rs 9.97 crore for Q1-2013 and 22.1 per cent more than the Rs 16.36 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Den Networks CEO S N Sharma said, “With the successful implementation of digitisation in Phase II cities, India is now firmly in the digital era. The overall response from consumers is extremely positive as they can now clearly perceive the benefits of digital and the superior experience associated with it. The major focus areas now are the completion of package selection by subscribers, collection of KYC data and the start of retail consumer billing, which are being spurred on by MSOs with a strong regulatory backing. These steps will truly complete our industry’s transformation into a B2C model. We are also drawing up plans for digitising our analog base in Phase III and IV cities while gearing up for our broadband foray.”

     

    Den Networks recently launched two digital cable channels – DEN Movies and DEN Classic, available to Den Network subscribers in selected areas. The company says that it sees the local cable channel segment become a potential growth area along with the spread of digitisation.