ITV

Tag: ETV news

  • Samsung TV Plus adds four ETV network Telugu channels

    Samsung TV Plus adds four ETV network Telugu channels

    GURUGRAM:  Samsung TV Plus has nabbed four channels from Eenadu Television, one of India’s oldest broadcasters, as the free streaming service pushes deeper into regional markets. The deal brings ETV News, ETV Josh, ETV Music and ETV Comedy to Samsung’s platform, which now boasts over 150 channels.

    The partnership marks a shrewd play for the south Indian market, where Telugu content commands fierce loyalty. ETV network has been churning out news, music and entertainment for two decades, building a devoted following across diverse demographics.

    “We aim to unlock the potential of the South Market and enhance access to the latest content from the world of Telugu entertainment,” said Samsung TV Plus southeast Asia general manager business development Kunal Mehta.

    Eenadu TV chief executive K Bapineedu called the tie-up “a significant step in our digital journey” as connected TV adoption accelerates across India. The executive emphasised ETV’s “content-first strategy” of constantly testing and refining offerings to match shifting viewer tastes.

    The move reinforces Samsung TV Plus’s strategy of democratising premium content through its ad-supported model. By combining ETV’s regional storytelling prowess with Samsung’s technological reach, the partnership could set the template for how traditional broadcasters navigate India’s rapidly evolving streaming landscape.

    For Samsung, the deal strengthens its hand against rivals like JioTV and Airtel Xstream as the battle for India’s streaming eyeballs intensifies.

  • News channels to telecast Durga Puja live

    News channels to telecast Durga Puja live

    KOLKATA:  With the arrival of Durga Puja in Bengal, the biggest festival in the state, India’s national broadcaster, Doordarshan along with other regional Bengali channels will telecast the grand festival from Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal live for the next four days.

     

    Channels planning live telecast of the celebrations include 24 Ghanta, Akash Bangla, Star Ananda, Tara News, ETV News, Channel 10, Ne Bangla and Kolkata TV among other channels.

     

    Talking about the same, a Focus Bangla official said, “We will invite singers to our studios. We will also visit a celebrity’s house for the puja and be a part of their home experience.”

     

    Adding to that, a 24 Ghanta reporter added, “Each year, organisers come up with new themes and try to better their previous attempts. We try to cover all the important pujas from different locations so that old people and the young alike can enjoy the live puja from indoors.”

     

    The 10-day festival which started on 25 September will conclude on 3 October.

     

    Festooned with lights, giant cardboard cut-outs and clay figures adorn the entrances to lanes. The city has also been decked up like a bride to welcome the goddess.

     

  • FY-2014: Network18 Media operations segment reports operating profit of Rs 56 crore

    FY-2014: Network18 Media operations segment reports operating profit of Rs 56 crore

    BENGALURU:  Network18 Media and Investments Limited (Network18) Media Operations segment reported an operating profit of Rs 55.77 crore in FY-2014 as compared to a loss of Rs 151.09 crore in FY-2013. The segment reported a revenue of Rs 2,562.49 crore in FY-2014, 17.35 per cent more than the Rs 2,183.66 crore in FY-2013.

     

    Overall, in FY-2014, Network18 has reported a loss of Rs 36.77 crore, much lower than the loss of Rs 105.46 crore in FY-2013. Consolidated revenue in FY-2014 at Rs 2,682.39 crore was 13 per cent more than the Rs 2,382.69 crore in FY-2013.

     

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

     

    Network18 managing director Raghav Bahal said, “We are enthused by the turnaround performance of Network18 for this financial year. All our businesses have delivered strong  operating performances and contributed positively to achieve a new milestone in operating profits this year, despite the continued uncertainty in the macro-economic environment. We are confident of sustaining our growth trajectory, as we continue to extract value from our existing operations as well as profitably grow our newer initiatives.”

     

    Let us look at the FY-2014 and Q4-2014 numbers reported by Network18

     

    The company reported a 1.47 per cent growth in Total Income from Operations at Rs 738.32 crore in Q4-2014 as compared to the Rs 727.59 crore in the immediate trailing quarter and 8.66 per cent more than the Rs 679.49 crore in the year ago quarter Q4-2013.

     

    Network18 reported a consolidated loss of Rs 4.12 crore in Q4-2014, much lower than the loss of Rs 11.72 crore in Q3-2014 and as against a profit of Rs 0.47 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    The company’s Total Expense (Tot Exp) for FY-2014 at Rs 2695.58 crore (100.12 per cent of Total Income from operations) was 7.14 per cent more than the Rs 2515.98 crores (105.59 per cent of Total Income from operations) in FY-2014. Total Expenditure for Q4-2014 at Rs 726.07 crore (98.34 per cent of Total Income from operations) was 5.6 per cent more than the Rs 687.59 crore (94.5 per cent of Total Income from operations) in Q3-2014 and 6.25 per cent more than the Rs 683.35 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Network18’s programming cost in FY-2014 at Rs 522.47 crore (19.41 per cent of Total Income from operations) was 7.81 per cent more than the Rs 484.63 crore (20.34 per cent of Total Income from operations) in FY-2013. Programming cost in Q4-2014 at Rs133.82 crore (18.13 per cent of Total Income from operations) was 14.18 per cent lower than the Rs 155.94 crore (21.43 per cent of Total Income from operations) in Q3-2014 and 25.08 per cent more than the Rs 106.99 crore (15.75 per cent of Total Income from operations) in Q4-2013.

     

    The company has brought down its finance costs to less than half (by 54.97 per cent) in FY-2014 at Rs122.47 crore (4.55 per cent of Total Income from operations) as compared to the Rs 271.98 crore (11.41 per cent of Total Income from operations) in FY-2013. Finance cost in Q4-2014 at Rs 32.08 crore (4.35 per cent of Total Income from operations) was 3.94 per cent more than the Rs 30.87 crore (4.24 per cent of Total Income from operations) in Q3-014 and 17.6 per cent lower than the Rs 38.93 crore (5.73 per cent of Total Income from operations) in Q4-2013.

     

    The company’s Film Production and Distribution (Film) segment reported a fall in revenue of 41.32 per cent to Rs101.77 crore in FY-2014 from Rs 173.43 crore in FY-2013. Network18’s film segment reported a negative revenue of Rs 14.61 crore in Q4-2014 as compared to Rs 35.53 crore in Q3-2014 and Rs 38.93 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Film segment reported an operating loss of Rs 24.30 crore in FY-2014 as compared to a minor loss of Rs 0.42 crore in FY-2013. The loss in Q4-2014 at Rs 4.59 crore was much lower than the loss of Rs 14.28 crore in Q3-2014. Film segment had reported an operating profit of Rs 6.16 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Here is what the company has to say:

     

    Note:  Reported results are inclusive of the financial consolidation of ETV News (100 per cent) and ETV Entertainment (50 per cent) from 22 Jan 2014 till 31 March 2014. On 22 Jan 2014, post receipt of required regulatory approvals, TV18 completed the acquisition of the ETV channels – 100 per cent of ETV News, 50 per cent of ETV Entertainment and 24.5 per cent of ETV Telugu. In accordance with the accounting policies, ETV News and ETV Entertainment have been consolidated at 100 per cent on a line by line basis (Refer Note No. 7 in the Notes section).

     

    Operating profits (EBITDA) turned around from a loss of Rs 39.3 crore in FY-2013 to a profit of Rs 87.2 crore in FY-2014, led by a consistent increase in profits generated by the television operations and reduction  in operating losses of the digital businesses.

     

    PBT for the year turned around from a loss of Rs 136.9 crore last year to Rs 16 crore this year led by a strong operating performance and a sharp reduction in interest cost from Rs 272 crore last year to Rs 122.5 crore this year.

     

    Reported operating revenue in Q4-2014 was Rs 738.3 crore, up 8.7 per cent YOY. Reported operating profit (EBITDA) in Q4FY14 was Rs 42.3 crores, up from Rs 12.7 crores last year.

     

    Television and Motion Pictures

     

    Reported annual revenues on a consolidated basis are up 15.8 per cent to Rs 1,968.1 crore and operating profits (EBITDA) have nearly doubled to Rs 210.5 crore.

     

    On a consolidated basis, annual advertising revenues grew 11 per cent year on year. Net Distribution Income (NDI) continued its steady climb to close at Rs 178 crores, up from Rs 15.7 crores in FY-2013.

     

    In this financial year, operating profits from our television operations doubled from Rs 114.2 crore to Rs 233.6 crore. General News delivered a 6.9x growth in annual operating profits and grew to Rs 22 crore.

     

    Business News remained stable despite a downturn in the markets and the absence of the Union Budget.

     

    Infotainment broke into positive territory and our Entertainment television business registered a 2.9x growth in operating profits (EBITDA) which stood at Rs108.4 crore.

     

    In Q4-2014, the company successfully launched MTV Indies and Rishtey in the entertainment segment and ETV Bangla, ETV Kannada and ETV Haryana in the regional news segment.

     

     Reported revenues for Q4-2014 stood at Rs 563.3 crore, up 18.7 per cent and operating profits (EBITDA) in Q4-2014 stood at Rs 69.7 crore, up 101 per cent YOY.

     

    Digital content and eCommerce

     

    FY-2014 revenues from the digital content and eCommerce business grew by 32 per cent from Rs 400.9 crore last  year to Rs 530.8 crore this year. Operating losses (EBITDA) of our digital business were steadily  reduced in this financial year from Rs 125.4 crore to Rs 80.6 crore.

     

    In Q4-2014, the company successfully launched ‘FirstBiz’, a business news portal under the ‘FirstPost’ stable and ‘News18.com’, a web, mobile and tablet service which focuses on local news at the state and city level.

     

    Q4-2014 revenues from the digital businesses stood at Rs 149.4 crore and grew by 35 per cent over the last year.

     

    Network18 CEO B Saikumar said, “All our broadcast operations continued to show improvement in margins. IndiaCast has delivered a stellar swing in net distribution income. Our General news operations have turned around this year, due to a strong focus on operational efficiency. Infotainment operations at A+E Networks I TV18 broke into positive territory. Our broadcast entertainment business at Viacom18 grew profitably. Our digital businesses displayed encouraging revenue growth, successfully launched FirstBiz and News18.com and narrowed operating losses. We are focused on sustaining our strong performance in the coming year.”

  • ETV News to be re-branded as News 18

    ETV News to be re-branded as News 18

    KOLKATA: Re-branding is not new to the world of media; brands across sectors undergo the change on various accounts – to catch the target group’s attention, due to mergers or just to give a facelift.

     

    The latest to join the bandwagon is TV18 Broadcast. Part of Network18 Group, the network has various regional news channels under its umbrella.

     

    Come April, next year, and ETV news channels will be known as News18, as per the agreement between the TV18 Group and the erstwhile owner, Eenadu Group, an ETV insider revealed.

     

    Also, TV18, which has acquired 100 per cent interest in the regional Hindi news channels namely ETV Uttar Pradesh, ETV Madhya Pradesh, ETV Rajasthan and ETV Bihar will be known as News 18 UP, News 18 MP, News 18 Rajasthan and News 18 Bihar, respectively as per the agreement.

     

    ETV Network’s head when contacted on the same, confirmed the development. “Till March 2015, TV18 group would use the old name and logo. But from April 2015, the logo and name of the channels will change,” he says.

     

    However, Viacom18 executive vice-president Ravish Kumar refused to comment on the same.

     

    Incubators Group CMD Kaushlendra Singh Sengar highlights that one of the key strengths of ETV channels’ is their ability to attract and retain loyal viewers. And TV18 is confident of taking these regional channels to even greater heights with its strategic inputs, improved content/programming strategies and operational synergies. “If the ETV channels are re-branded as News18, it will be a good move since TV18 has a bouquet of leading television channels under its umbrella.”

     

    Recently TV18 completed its acquisition of ETV Bangla.

     

    Sengar adds, “As part of the deal for acquisition of ETV channels, Network18 and TV18 have also entered in to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Infotel Broadband Services (Infotel), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. Under the MoU the companies and their associates will have the right to distribute the content of all the media and web properties of Network18.” he says.

     

    The tie-up with Infotel will enable Network18 and TV18 to build on their first-mover advantage for the distribution of their content through the latest broadband technology.

     

    “The key advantage for millions of viewers will be the ability to enjoy an uninterrupted, high quality, 24-hour viewership, even while they are on the move,” concludes Sengar.

  • ETV News sees prospective markets in J&K, Assam, TN and Kerala

    ETV News sees prospective markets in J&K, Assam, TN and Kerala

    MUMBAI: With elections looming large, television networks are prepping to launch news channels in different parts of the country so as to get a decent share of the viewership pie. One such is Network18, which, after completely acquiring all ETV channels (save for Telugu channels) in January this year, decided to launch news channels in states where its GECs were present and not news.

    Recent launches include ETV News Bangla, ETV News Kannada, ETV News Himachal Pradesh/Haryana, ETV News Gujarat and ETV News Odiya, with Gujarati and Odiya news channels launching in the next two to three months. What’s more, another set of news channels is being planned for 2015.

    ETV news channels under TV18 are looking to get sister channels in ETV News Jammu and Kashmir, ETV News Assam, ETV News Tamil Nadu, and ETV News Kerala. “If everything goes well, we may launch these channels by the end of 2015,” says ETV News group editor Rajesh Raina.

    ETV news channels under TV18 are looking to introduce news channels in Jammu & Kashmir, north east (Assam), south (Tamil Nadu and Kerala).  “There’s a strong feeling that we should expand our news services into these regions as there is great deal of potential. We would like to expand and spread nationally. However, decisions of when and why to foray in these areas will be taken by the management of the Network18 group,” says ETV News group editor Rajesh Raina.

    As to how ETV will compete in Tamil Nadu and Kerala where current networks have a stronghold, Raina says: “In these states, most of the channels are affiliated to different political parties except a few. ETV is known for its credibility and is the ‘people’s channel’. Wherever we operate our channels, we give priority to ‘people’s issues’ and that is the reason we have the highest viewership in all regions.”

    In Jammu and Kashmir, ETV Urdu has been running two news bulletins every day for the past six years, which the channel claims has become very popular in the region. This in turn will help them create a niche for a 24X7 news channel in the state.

    Whereas in Assam, Raina says, “In a strife-torn state like Assam, we can be a bridge for government schemes to reach the masses and this will work to generate good revenue from both the state and central governments if ads given to TV channels are at par with newspapers, for which our network head Jagdish Chandra has been fighting hard.”

    The network wants to be the ‘voice of the people’ in the country, and “So far, we have been successful and we hope to sustain this success in future also. No channel can match our quality of coverage. We have some distribution issues in some places but they are being sorted out,” Raina adds.

    The focus will be more on rural, less on urban areas. “Quality coverage means raising the issues of the common man. But some channels are focused totally on urban centres and try to attract eyeballs in some selective centres only. But our channel is the common man’s channel and not the channel for the elite class only,” says Raina.

    According to him, no changes have come about in the ETV channels after acquisition. There are investments being made to upgrade the technology. Sources say nearly Rs 10 to 12 crore is being pumped into each channel for this purpose. Recently, Network18 had announced the launch of its regional news website news18.com that provides state-wise news.

    A Ministry of Information and Broadcasting document ‘permitted satellite TV channels as on ‘10 March 2014’ shows that the network already has licences for the channels. However, folks close to Network18  are quick to clarify, that these licences have been given to the Ramoji Rao group. “The Ramoji Rao group had applied for about 28 licences which they have got,” says the source. “The Network18 management has to start the process of applying for the new channel licences afresh.” 

    Currently, ETV runs news channels including Bangla, Kannada, Urdu (news and infotainment), Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh/Chattisgarh, Bihar/Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Haryana/Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Odia. ETV2 News is not under the ownership of TV18.

  • ETV News Himachal/Haryana to launch on 26 March

    ETV News Himachal/Haryana to launch on 26 March

    MUMBAI: Ramoji Rao founded ETV group that is now under Network18 has got one more launch up its sleeve targeting the northern states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Come 26 March, the group will launch its regional Hindi news channel, ETV News Himachal Pradesh/Haryana.

     

    Targeted at the age group 15+ SEC ABC, the channel will help the ETV group expand into markets beyond Delhi. To tap into viewership, the launch has been timed ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, just like the recently launched Bangla and Kannada ETV news channels. The 24X7 channel will cover 80 per cent news from the two states and the remaining 20 per cent from the rest of the nation. The news stories will encompass politics, sports, culture and crime.

     

    With 10 reporters, 20 stringers and 10 desk editors currently on-board, ETV News Himachal Pradesh/Haryana will broadcast from its Hyderabad studio for now offering only studio based shows and later move to Chandigarh after the polls with a corresponding bureau in Simla to provide full fledged news bulletins and live coverage. There will be bureaus located in Dharamshala, Rohtak and Kurukshetra as well. Balwant Takshak has been appointed as the editor and Narendra Bhaskar as the marketing head for the channel.

     

    “Haryana is a big market. Real estate and other industries are growing day-by-day. In Himachal Pradesh, information about a lot of government schemes does not reach the common people. This channel can be a bridge between the government and the common people. Revenue can also be generated through this mechanism,” says ETV group editor Rajesh Raina. According to sources in the know, the channel has made an investment of nearly Rs 15 crore and is looking to break even in two years’ time.

     

    No advertiser is aboard yet and the marketing campaign will follow only after the channel is launched. Meanwhile, ETV News Himachal Pradesh/Haryana is in for competition from India News Haryana, Focus Haryana, Khabarfast 24X7, Janta TV and Total TV.

  • Q3-2014 : Network18 EBIDTA rises almost six-fold y-o-y

    Q3-2014 : Network18 EBIDTA rises almost six-fold y-o-y

    BENGALURU:  Network18 Media & Investments Limited (Network18) announced operating profit of Rs 61 crore in Q3-2014 which was almost six times the operating profit of Rs 10.6 crore in Q3-2013 and more than triple the operating profit of Rs 20.1 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Note: Proforma results are assuming financial consolidation of ETV News (100 per cent) and ETV Entertainment (50 per cent). On 22 Jan 2014, post receipt of required regulatory approvals, TV18 completed the acquisition of the ETV channels – 100 per cent of ETV News, 50 per cent of ETV Entertainment and 24.5 per cent of ETV Telugu.

     

    Revenue for the quarter grew by 4.33 per cent to Rs 727.6 crore in Q3-2014 from Rs 697.4 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year and 8.63 per cent more than the Rs 669.8 crore during Q2-2014.

     

    Proforma reported revenues on a consolidated basis stood at Rs 595.9 crore for the quarter, up five per cent over prior year. Proforma Operating Profit (EBITDA) came in at Rs 94.5 crore (up 79 per cent y-o-y) led by a strong performance in ETV News says the company.

     

    Its Digital Content and Commerce business showed growth along with more than halving of operational loss, saw a growth of 25.25 per cent to Rs 149.8 crore in the current quarter from Rs 119.6 crore in Q3-2013 and by 20 per cent from the Rs 124.8 crore in the immediate trailing quarter. The operational loss reported by this segment at Rs (14.1) crore was less than half (45 per cent) the loss of Rs 31.3 crore reported in Q3-2013, but was 51.6 per cent more than the loss of Rs (9.3) crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Let us look at the other figures reported by Network18:

     

    Network18’s Television and Motion Pictures segment reported (mainly TV 18) reported revenue of Rs 525.5 crore in Q3-2013, which was 2.6 per cent more than the Rs 512.4 crore in Q3-2013 and 8.75 per cent more than the Rs 483.2 crore in Q2-2014. This segment reported an operating profit of Rs 77.5 crore in Q3-2014, up 61.12 per cent as compared to the Rs 48.1 crore in the corresponding period of last year. Q-o-q, its EBIDTA was almost double (1.96 times) the Rs 39.6 crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Revenue from its other segment, Allied Businesses saw a drop of (28) per cent to Rs 58.1 per cent in Q3-2014 from Rs 80.7 crore in Q3-2013 and a fall of (12.8) per cent from Rs 66.6 crore in Q2-2014. Loss from this segment fell 34 per cent to Rs 6 crore in Q3-2014 from Rs 9.1 crore in Q3-2013 and fell by 36.8 per cent from Rs 9.5 crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Network18’s net loss for the quarter for Q3-2014 was Rs (11.72) crore as compared to a profit of Rs 6.85 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal and less than a third (29.4 per cent)  of the Rs (39.84) crore reported during the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Total expense for Q3-2014 at Rs 687.59 crore was (3.2) per cent lower than the Rs 710.27 crore in Q3-2013 and 2.6 per cent more than the Rs 670.1 crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Network18 paid (1.8) per cent less towards programming cost in Q3-2014 at Rs 155.94 crore a compared to the Rs 158.83 crore in Q3-2013 and 8.4 per cent Rs 143.84 crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Distribution, advertising and business promotion expense for Q3-2014 at Rs 221.27 crore  was (11) per cent less than the Rs 228.53 crore in Q3-2013 and (5.4) per cent less than the Rs 233.77 crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Click here for full report

  • TV18 results show upturn for Q1-2014

    TV18 results show upturn for Q1-2014

    BENGALURU: Indian media and entertainment company TV18 Broadcast Limited (TV18) turned in a profit of Rs 5.9 crore after tax for the quarter on the back of a significantly deleveraged balance sheet as compared to a loss of Rs 23.5 crore in the previous year.

     

    Income from operations for Q1-2014 stood at Rs107.37 crore, with other income contributing another Rs 2.25 crore to arrive at a net operating income of Rs109.62 crore, lower than the net operating income of Rs136.91 crore reported for Q1-2012 and significantly lower than the net operating income of Rs147.06 crore reported for Q4-2014. TV18’s net profit was Rs 8.91crore for Q1-2014 as against a net loss of Rs 7.79 crore for Q1-2013, but much lower than the net profit of Rs 20.95 crore for Q4-2013.

     

    Let us take a look at the unaudited Q1-2014 figures

     

    Q1-2014 revenues from its media operations stood at Rs 383.4 crore, while those from its motion picture business were Rs 18.8 crore. Reduction of inter-segmental revenues of Rs 6 crore resulted in reported revenues for the television and motion pictures business, including IndiaCast revenues of Rs 147.9 crore (75 per cent for the current year) at Rs 396.2 crore for the quarter.

     

    Reported operating profit for Q1-2014 stood at Rs 23.8 crore, up 57 per cent over the Rs 15.5 crore during the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

     

    Overall, the company’s motion picture business dragged operating profits down. The company says that the losses from the Motion Pictures business were primarily on account of the tepid audience response received by its movie Bombay Talkies.

     

    In the current quarter, its release Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has been a critically acclaimed, runaway hit.

     

    For Q1-2014, motion picture business with revenues of Rs 18.8 crore reported an operating loss of Rs 8.4 crore, bringing down the operating profit of Rs 14.7 crore from the News and Entertainment segment and the Rs 15.2 crore operating profit from the Entertainment – Television business and the Rs 2.3 crore (75 per cent current year) from Indiacast.

     

    Comparatively, losses from the Motion Picture business were much lower at Rs 2.4 crores during Q1-2013, while during Q4-2013, the Motion Picture business had actually returned a profit of Rs 3 crore during the previous quarter (Q4-2013).

     

    Advertising Revenues grew 5.5 per cent year for Q1-2015 at Rs 227.5 crore as compared to Rs 215.6 crore the company reported in Q1-2013, but were significantly lower by Rs 50 crore (18 per cent) than the Rs 277.5 crore the company reported for the pervious quarter (Q4-2013).

     

    Net Distribution Income grew 32 percent sequentially to Rs 34.9 crore for Q1-2014, swinging from a loss of Rs 16 crore during Q1-2013 and higher than the Rs 26.4 crore reported during the previous quarter Q4-2013.

     

    IndiaCast is a 50-50 joint venture between TV18 and Viacom18 and has been consolidated as such. IndiaCast came into operation on 1 July 2012 and as such, is consolidated only from Q2 FY13. Also for the previous year it was consolidated as a 100 per cent subsidiary. TV18 moved to the Net Distribution Income methodology of accounting for carriage and subscription from Q2FY13. Q1FY13 results have been regrouped to ensure comparability. For Q1FY13, gross subscription and carriage numbers are included in the audited results of FY13. From the current year; we have stopped reporting new operations separately given their vintage. Segmental numbers are based on management accounts and are not audited.

     

    Effective 1 July 2012, IndiaCast has been managing TV18’s and Viacom18’s distribution operations. operating profits Net Distribution Income may be understood as subscription revenues earned by the company minus carriage/placement fees or any promotions/commission paid.

     

    News and Infotainment Operations

    The summary for this segment shows three streams – General News, Business News and Infotainment (AETN18). For Q1-2014, operating profits from Business News of Rs 17.5 crore were eroded by the Rs 1.4 crore loss reported by General News and another Rs 1.4 crore loss by Infotainment to arrive at a net operating profit of Rs 14.7 crore.

     

    Overall revenues for this segment were lower at Rs 119 crore for Q1-2014 as compared to the Rs 127 crore for Q1-2013 and significantly lower (by 25 per cent) than the Rs158.3 crore during the last quarter (Q4-2013). Even the revenues from the Business News stream were significantly lower (by 38.6 per cent) at Rs 57.3 crore for Q1-2014 as compared to the Rs 93.3 crore for Q4-2013, but were about six per cent higher than the Rs 54.2 crore reported for the corresponding quarter of the previous years (Q1-2013).

     

    General News and Infotainment streams revenues were lower for Q1-2014 at Rs 55.2 crore (General News) and Rs 6.5 crore (Infotainment) as compared to the Rs 62.1 crore (General News) and Rs 10.7 crore (Infotainment) for Q1-2013. During Q4-2013, General News reported revenues of Rs 56.1 crore and Infotainment Rs 8.9 crore.

     

    Entertainment Business

     

    Q1-2014 revenues for Viacom 18 stood at Rs 408.3 crore as compared to the Rs 340.8 crore for Q1-2013 and Rs 404.8 crore for Q4-2013. Operating profits stood at Rs 15.2 crore as against Rs 2.4 crore in Q1-2013.

     

    Broadcasting revenues for Q1-2014 were Rs 303.6 crore. The company says that

     

    operating profits from its broadcasting business grew by 35 per cent over the previous year.

     

    ETV News and Entertainment (Non-Telugu)

     

    Figures reported on a 100 per cent basis for this stream are as follows:

     

    ETV News revenues for Q1-2014 were Rs 27.8 crore with EBITDA of Rs 8.9 crore while revenues from ETV Entertainment stood at Rs 57.5 crore and a negative EBITDA of Rs 42.5 crore.

     

    Said Network 18 managing director Raghav Bahl, “The macroeconomic environment continues to be challenging and growth prospects remain uncertain. Given this backdrop, our broadcasting operations turned in a steady performance aided by the roll out of digitisation in 42 cities. However, there were pockets of weakness and we are committed to improving segments that are not meeting expectations. We have a strong portfolio of channels and remain confident of unlocking their value for our stakeholders.”

     

    Added Group CEO B Saikumar, “We continue to turn in steady operating profits from our television businesses. Motion pictures have seen losses this quarter and the management is confident of stemming them in the immediate term. While our news and infotainment businesses have seen distinct softness in advertising, our entertainment businesses led by Colors have performed well on this front. Net Distribution Revenues from IndiaCast are on a strong growth trajectory and we continue to be enthused by its growth potential. The industry is going through several important changes on both the advertising and distribution fronts. We believe that these changes are positive and will lead to a stronger industry structure. We remain confident of delivering a strong year ahead.”