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Tag: Jagran Prakashan

  • Q3-2015: Jagran Prakashan y-o-y revenue up 3.6 per cent; Radio City all numbers up

    Q3-2015: Jagran Prakashan y-o-y revenue up 3.6 per cent; Radio City all numbers up

    BENGALURU: Indian publishing group Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL) recently signed a share purchase agreement subject to regulatory approvals for 100 per cent acquisition of Music Broadcast Private Limited (MBPL, Radio City) through an all cash deal that JPL says will get it into the high growth and profitable radio segment

     

    The company reported a 3.6 per cent y-o-y increase in revenue in Q3-2015 (current quarter, quarter ended 31 December, 2015) to Rs 470.46 crore from Rs 453.9 crore in Q3-2014 and 7.8 per cent more than the Rs 436.3 crore in trailing quarter Q2-2015. Profit after Tax (PAT) for the current quarter fell slightly by 1.5 per cent to Rs 66.7 crore (14.2 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 67.7 crore reported for Q3-2014.

     

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

     

    Radio City’s all numbers in Q3-2015 up

     

    As per JPL’s investor presentation, Radio City reported 38 per cent y-o-y growth in revenue to Rs 59.7 crore in the current quarter as compared to the Rs 42.5 crore in Q3-2014. Radio City’s expense was up 21 per cent in the current quarter at Rs 37.1 crore as compared to the Rs 30.5 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal.

     

    Radio City reported more than double the PAT (up 2.49 times) in Q3-2015 at Rs 17.1 crore (29.1 per cent of Radio City’s revenue) as compared to the Rs 6.9 crore (16.1 per cent of Radio City’s revenue) in Q3-2014. Cash profit almost doubled (up 1.99 times) in Q3-2015 at Rs 21 crore (35.8 per cent of Radio City’s revenue) as compared to the Rs 10.6 crore (24.8 per cent of Radio City’s revenue) in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    Let’s look at the other Q3-2015 numbers reported by JPL:

     

    JPL’s advertising revenue in Q3-2015 at Rs 388.4 crore (71.9 per cent of revenue) was 5.6 per cent more than Rs 320.4 crore (70.6 per cent of revenue) in Q3-2014 and 10.3 per cent more than the Rs 306.9 crore (70.3 per cent of revenue) in Q2-2015.

     

    The company’s circulation revenue went up 8.2 per cent in Q3-2015 to Rs 100 crore (21.3 per cent of revenue) as compared to the Rs 92.4 crore (20.4 per cent of revenue) in Q3-2014 and was 3.6 per cent more than the Rs 96.5 crore (22.1 per cent of revenue) in Q2-2015.

     

    JPL’s major revenue comes from its publication Dainik Jagran (DJ). DJ reported 8.6 per cent higher revenue of Rs 361.12 crore in Q3-2015, as compared to the Rs 332.53 crore in Q3-2014 and 7.5 per cent more than the Rs 336 crore in Q2-2015. It has reported operating margin in Q3-2015 for DJ at Rs 129.12 crore, 18.9 per cent more than the Rs 108.62 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year and 17.1 per cent more than the Rs 336 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    JPL’s total expenditure in Q3-2015 was down 0.2 per cent at Rs 364.53 crores (77.5 per cent of JPL revenue) as compared to the Rs 365.09 crore (80.3 per cent of JPL revenue) in Q3-2014 but 10.6 per cent more than the Rs 329.5 crore (75.5 per cent of JPL revenue) in Q2-2015.

     

    A major component of total expenditure is raw materials consumption (RMC). JPL’s RMC in the current quarter fell 2.6 per cent to Rs 158.5 crore (33.7 per cent of JPL revenue) from Rs 162.7 crore (35.8 per cent of JPL revenue) in Q3-2014 and was 1.1 per cent lower than the Rs 160.3 crore (36.7 per cent of JPL revenue) in the previous quarter.

     

    Operating profit for the current quarter at Rs 132.5 crore (28.2 per cent of JPL revenue) was 20.6 per cent more than the Rs 109.9 crore (24.2 per cent of JPL revenue) in the corresponding year ago quarter and was 24.8 per cent more than the Rs 106.2 crore (24.3 per cent of JPL revenue) in Q2-2015.

     

    The group is engaged primarily in printing and publication of newspaper and magazines in India. The other activities of the company comprise outdoor advertising, event management services and digital business. Among JPL’s subsidiaries include Midday Infomedia Limited, Suvi Info Management (Indore) Private Limited, Nai Dunia Media Limited, Shabda-Shikar Prakashan- Firm, Leet OOH Media Private Limited and X-pert Publicity Private Limited.

  • Q1-2015: Jagran Prakashan reports q-o-q revenue up 4.7 per cent, flat PAT

    Q1-2015: Jagran Prakashan reports q-o-q revenue up 4.7 per cent, flat PAT

    BENGALURU: Indian publishing group Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL) reported a 4.7 per cent q-o-q increase in revenue in Q1-2015 to Rs 440.3 crore from Rs 420.7 crore in Q4-2014 and 6.8 per cent more than the Rs 412.2 crore in the year ago quarter Q1-2014.

     

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

     

    JPL reported almost flat PAT (lower by 0.2 per cent) at Rs 55.1 crore (12.5 per cent of revenue) in Q1-2015 as compared to the Rs 55.2 crore (13.1 per cent of revenue) in Q4-2014 and 4.7 per cent lower than the Rs 57.8 crore (14 per cent of revenue) in Q1-2014.

     

    Let us look at the other Q1-2015 numbers reported by JPL

     

    JPL’s advertising revenue in Q1-2015 at Rs 308.9 crore (70.2 per cent of revenue) was 5.9 per cent more than the Rs 291.7 crore (69.3 per cent of revenue) in Q4-2014 and 6.6 per cent more than the Rs 289.8 crore (70.3 per cent of revenue) in Q1-2014.

     

    The company’s circulation revenue went up 7.9 per cent in Q1-2015 to Rs 95.7 crore (21.7 per cent of revenue) as compared to the Rs 88.7 crore (21.1 per cent of revenue) in Q4-2014 and 11.9 per cent more than the Rs 85.5 crore (20.7 per cent of revenue) in Q1-2014.

     

    JPL’s major revenue comes from its publication Dainik Jagran (DJ). DJ reported revenue of Rs 335.9 crore in Q1-2015, as compared to the Rs 310.3 crore in Q4-2014 and Rs.312.7 crore in Q1-2014. It has reported operating margin of DJ at 34 per cent for the current quarter. The company reported Digital Advertising Revenue Growth of 57 per cent.

     

    JPL reported total expense of Rs 357.05 crore (81.1 per cent of revenue) in Q1-2015, which was 1.9 per cent lower than the Rs 363.79 crore (86.5 per cent of revenue) in Q4-2014and 8.7 per cent more than Rs 328.38 crore (79.7 per cent of revenue) in Q1-2014. A major component of JPL’s total expenditure is raw materials. The company spent Rs 162.7 crore (37 per cent of revenue) in Q1-2015 towards raw materials, which was 3.6 per cent more than the Rs 157.1 crore (37.3 per cent of revenue) in Q4-2014 and 14.9 per cent more than the Rs 141.6 crore (34.4 per cent of revenue) in Q1-2014.

     

    Sharing its strategy the company says that it plans to leverage credible news content of Jagran to strengthen digital presence and capitalising on the growing mobile traffic, building video content. The company intends to focus on user generated content. JPL says that it wants to increase its foot hold in non Jagran markets. It also plans on covering all major events and will focus on content acquisition, distribution and alliances.

     

    The group is engaged primarily in printing and publication of newspaper and magazines in India. The other activities of the Company comprise outdoor advertising, event management services and digital business. Among JPL’s subsidiaries include Midday Infomedia Limited, Suvi Info Management (Indore) Private Limited, Nai Dunia Media Limited, Shabda-Shikar Prakashan- Firm, Leet OOH Media Private Limited and X-pert Publicity Private Limited.

     

    Click here to read the result update presentation

    Click here to read the standalone financial report

  • Q4-2014: Jagran Prakashan reports 17 per cent increase in consolidated ad revenues

    Q4-2014: Jagran Prakashan reports 17 per cent increase in consolidated ad revenues

    BENGALURU: Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL) has reported a16.83 per cent jump in its advertisement revenue in Q4-2014 to Rs 291.66 crore from Rs 249.63 crore in Q4-2013. The company reported a 14.27 per cent hike in operating revenue to Rs 420.75 crore in Q4-2014 from Rs 368.20 crore in Q4-2013. PAT however in Q4-2014 dipped (-30.6) per cent to Rs 55.18 crore from Rs79.94 crore in Q4-2013.

     

     Overall in FY-2014, JPL has reported consolidated operating revenue of Rs 1702.73 crore up by 11.89 per cent from Rs 1521.80 crore. Operating Profit of Rs 382.61 crore up by 29.60 per cent from Rs 295.22 crore, Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs 305.72 crore up by 19.82 per cent from Rs 255.16 crore, and PAT of Rs 226.26 crore for FY-2014 as against Rs 254.70 crore in FY-2013.

     

    JPL chairman and managing director said, “In continuation of Q3FY14, Q4FY14 once again witnessed a steep growth of 17 per cent in advertisement revenue with further improvement in per copy realisation. On cost front, we continued to keep check. However, increase in newsprint prices partially due to depreciating rupee was unexpected and it lowered the operating margins by 3 per cent. I expect the prices to remain stable at current level. As a result of overall growth in revenues and control over cost, the Company recorded a robust growth in operating profit as well as profit before tax.”

     

    “In FY14, almost all the businesses under investment phase have given improved performance which will improve further. In particular, Naidunia and Digital performed incredibly and strengthened their respective market positions. Digital Advertising recorded growth of 150 per cent and Naidunia recorded growth of 27 per cent in circulation and 30 per cent in advertising revenue. Similarly, Punjabi Jagran grew in acceptability and reduced its loss by more than half and I-Next too had a good year cutting down its loss by 67 per cent. With the new government at centre, my optimism increases manifold and I am seeing fiscal 2014-15 a far more awarding for all the stake holders.”

     

    The Board of Directors of the Company has recommended Final Dividend of Rs 2 per equity share of Rs 2 each (100 per cent) on the paid up equity share capital of the Company.

  • Digital media eats into traditional media spend

    Digital media eats into traditional media spend

    MUMBAI: India’s low ad-spend-to-GDP ratio makes it one of the most promising ad markets globally, says IIFL’s Institutional Equities. In  a Media sector report titled “India: Ad-vert > Ad-word – Digital yet to come of age,” IIFL states that digital media is eating ad space with the other traditional forms of media like the print and television media and has been the fastest growing advertising media. This trend is likely to continue as the Internet user base expands at a brisk pace.

     

    India’s digital ad market grew at 43% CAGR over the past decade to ~Rs25bn, far in excess of the overall ad-spend growth of 13% during this period. Digital now accounts for 7% of the total ad spend, compared with 1% in CY03. A multi-fold rise in the Internet user base over CY03-13 (from 5m to 169m) and increasing acceptance of the digital platform among advertisers drove this growth. The supernormal growth in Internet penetration is likely to continue, driven by the Internet on mobile, the report states.

     

    However, India still is behind developed markets in terms of mobile technology and internet connectivity, hence there is no immediate threat to Print and Television advertising from the digital media ad spends, the report adds.

     

    Emergence of digital would materially harm the print industry in the medium to long term. English print is at a higher risk compared with regional print. Moreover, given the limited reach of the Internet, certain India-specific factors would help print to face competition from digital media. Ad spend on Indian print is expected to continue to increase in the medium term.

     

    “However, a larger audience base and diversified viewer profile make television advertising indispensable. Additionally television is a better-suited medium for certain types of ads such as new product launches or brand building. Hence, the impact of the Internet on television would be lower as compared with print. An analysis of ad spends for the past ten years reveals that print ad spend is more sensitive to economic growth. These factors make television ad spend more resilient,” says Bijal Shah and Jaykumar Doshi of IIFL Institutional Equities, authors of the report.

     

    Print media ad spends growth decelerated sharply from 16% CAGR during CY03-07 to a meagre 4.5% CAGR in the past three years. The slowdown in English was more pronounced than in vernacular languages. Vernacular papers benefited from continued strength in smaller towns and villages. A drop in ad spend from large national categories such as BFSI, telecom, and consumer durables, partly explains the weaker growth for print. Additionally, education and real estate, the two big categories, witnessed a sharp deceleration. Local advertisers maintained their higher spends, riding on the buoyancy in consumption.

     

    FMCG, Consumer durables and Auto constitutes to 65% of overall ad spends on television. Both FMCG and Auto ad spends have shown signs of slowing down, where as the Consumer durable companies are witnessing sluggishness in sales volumes, impacting the Television ad spend going forward and we can witness marginal growth in this segment. However Mobile handsets and e-commerce ad spends have supplemented in the overall as spends on television and have emerged as new categories. The television ad spend growth is expected to soften to high single digits.

     

    A sustained 6%+ GDP growth could accelerate ad-spend growth to 15%+, compared with 9% CAGR over CY10-13, as per IIFL’s Institutional Equities research report on media industry. The report further states that in medium term, TV and print should dominate ad budgets whereas digital would play a complementary role. Digital advertising is gaining traction, but limited reach and minimal fresh and vernacular content are limitations.

     

    Following the general elections, government ad spend, a key tailwind for print media in FY14, would taper. Thus, print media ad-spend growth could remain lacklustre in FY15 unless GDP growth picks up.

     

    Some key highlights from the report are:

    · India’s low ad-spend-to-GDP ratio and rising consumerism make it one of the most promising ad markets

    · A sustained 6%+ GDP growth could accelerate ad-spend growth to 15%+ compared with 9% Cagr over CY10-13.

    · Given its miniscule reach and slow Internet speed in India, digital is unlikely to emerge as a key advertising vehicle in the short-to-medium term

    · However driven by rising Internet penetration digital ad spends will continue to grow by 2-3 times the total ad spends  

    · TV would continue to be the mainstay for advertisers, given limited fresh content and absence of certain key target audience group such adult females on digital

    · Television ad spend is double that of digital in the US

     

    Few stocks recommended in the media industry:

     

    Zee Entertainment

    Zee Entertainment (Zee) is the best play on structural improvement in India’s pay television market and resilient consumption. Zee’s distribution joint venture with Star network, coupled with digitisation, would help secure its rightful share of subscription revenue. Furthermore, a diversified bouquet of channels and improving network market share would translate into above-industry ad-revenue growth. Meanwhile, Zee is investing in new channels and markets, which we believe lays the foundation for long-term growth.

    Call: ADD

     

    SUN TV Network

    Sun TV Network (Sun) is a strong player in the Rs36bn southern ad market with a leadership position in three of the four markets. Its diversified revenue stream and bouquet of channels, large movie library, and low-cost operations are advantages that are difficult to replicate. Subscription revenue is growing at a brisk pace and the momentum is likely to sustain. We expect ad revenue growth to resume following a drop for two consecutive quarters. At PER of 16x FY16ii, Sun is trading at ~15% its median multiple and at 33% discount to Zee. We believe the risk-reward is favourable.

    Call: ADD

     

    DB Corp

    DB Corp, through its flagship brands Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, and Divya Marathi, enjoys a well-entrenched franchise in several print media markets. Over the past two decades, it has evolved from a single-city newspaper to a strong player in several regional markets. DB Corp delivered double-digit ad-revenue growth even during periods of subdued ad spend. It has built a strong readership base and it is poised for gains in revenue market share. Healthy ad-revenue growth along with margin expansion would drive 20% EPS CAGR over FY14-16ii. At 16.4x FY15ii, scope for re-rating is limited; we expect returns in line with earnings growth.

    Call: BUY

     

    Jagran Prakashan

    Jagran Prakashan (Jagran), publisher of Dainik Jagran, India’s most read Hindi daily, enjoys a strong brand franchise in the key Hindi markets of Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Bihar and Jharkhand (BJH). Competitive intensity is on the rise in UP and BJH, which together contribute ~75% to Jagran’s ad revenue. DB Corp’s entry in Bihar and Hindustan’s readership gains in UP as per IRS 2013 are medium-term risks. In the interim, lower losses at subsidiaries would help margins. At 12.3x FY15ii P/E, Jagran is valued attractively and it is trading at ~35% discount to its three-year median multiple despite 17% EPS CAGR FY14ii-16ii.

    Call: ADD

     

    HT Media

    HT Media is one of the largest print media players in India with a well-entrenched franchise in the English and Hindi markets. We believe the long investment phase in new businesses is nearing an end. Two key properties, HT Mumbai and Hindustan UP, are at inflection points and should boost ad-revenue growth in a weak environment. Losses in digital would continue but will likely remain stable. At PER of 9.8x/7.9X FY15ii/FY16ii, valuations are compelling, given upside risks to our forecast of 20% EPS CAGR.

    Call: BUY

    Disclaimer: The views expressed in the research report accurately reflect such research analyst’s personal views about the subject securities and companies; and that no part of his or her compensation was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendation or views contained in the research report.`

  • Q3-2014: Higher Ad & circulation revenue, forex gain ramp up Jagran Prakashan’s profit numbers

    Q3-2014: Higher Ad & circulation revenue, forex gain ramp up Jagran Prakashan’s profit numbers

    BENGALURU: Indian media and communications group Jagran Prakashan (JPL) reported growth in all numbers, including the bottom line, which propped/ramped up in advertising and circulation revenue during Q3-2014.

     

    JPL reported a 12.71 per cent jump in standalone operating revenue during Q3-2014 to Rs 427.44 crore as compared to the Rs 379.24 crore during the corresponding quarter of last year and 10.92 per cent higher than the Rs 385.35 crore during Q2-2014. The company reported a 6.81 per cent growth in PAT during Q3-2014 to Rs 68.57 crore from Rs 64.2 crore y-o-y.

     

    The company reported growth in standalone advertisement revenue by 14.71 per cent during Q3-2014 to Rs 300.04 crore from Rs 261.56 crore in Q3-2013. Circulation revenue rose by 13.91 per cent y-o-y to Rs 86.11 crore during Q3-2014 from Rs 75.94 crore.

     

    Higher cost of raw materials consumed dampened the bottom line of JPL. During Q3-2014, JPL reported a consolidated foreign exchange gain of Rs 2.41 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 5.85 crore during Q3-2013.

     

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

     

    JPL has three revenue streams: the flagship publication Dainik Jagran, other publications such as Naidunia, Midday, etc., and also outdoor, events, mobile solutions, online, etc., with Dainik Jagran being the major contributor on all fronts.

     

    On a consolidated basis, JPL’s operating revenue at Rs 455.20 crore grew 11.05 per cent in Q3-2014 from Rs 409.09 crore in Q3-2013. Consolidated advertising revenue during Q3-2014 grew by 12.18 per cent to Rs 320.42 crore from Rs 285.64 crore in Q3-2013. Consolidated circulation revenue grew by 13.72 per cent to Rs 93.68 crore in Q3-2014 from Rs 82.38 crore in Q3-2013.

     

    Consolidated PAT in Q3-2014 grew 7.76 per cent to Rs 67.67 crore in Q3-2014 from Rs 62.8 crore in Q3-2013.

     

    JPL reported a growth of 11.29 per cent of operating revenue from Dainik Jagran in Q3-2014 to Rs 332.53 crore from Rs 298.79 crore in Q3-2013 and a 9.96 per cent growth from the immediate trailing quarter’s revenue of Rs 302.42 crore. Dainik Jagran’s operating profit in Q3-2014 grew 13.89 per cent to Rs 108.62 crore from Rs 95.37 crore in Q3-2013 and improved by 9.03 per cent from the Rs 99.62 crore reported in Q2-2014.

     

    Operating revenue from other publications grew by 15.15 per cent to Rs 90.23 crore in Q3-2014 from Rs 78.36 crore in Q3-2013 and grew by 9.56 per cent from Rs 80.67 crore in the preceding quarter. Operating profit from this stream was a positive Rs 1.17 crore as compared to the operating loss of Rs (-3.58) crore in Q3-2013 and the loss of Rs (-6.83) crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Outdoor and events operating revenue at Rs 32.89 crore during Q3-2014 showed a growth of 3.85 per cent as compared to the Rs 31.67 per cent in Q3-2013 and a growth of 10.04 per cent as compared to the Rs 29.89 crore in Q2-2014. This stream reported 27.19 per cent fall in operating profit to Rs 0.83 crore in Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 1.14 crore in Q3-2013, but was almost quadruple (3.95 times) the Rs 0.21 crores during Q2-2014.

     

    JPL reported a 22.76 per cent increase in total expense to Rs 336.83 crore in Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 274.37 crore in Q3-2013 and 8.4 per cent more than the Rs 311.76 crore in 2-2014. Cost of raw materials consumed went up a whopping 29.73 per cent in Q3-2014 to Rs 152.88 crore as compared to the Rs 117.84 crore in Q3-2013 and was higher by 10.49 per cent as compared to the Rs 138.36 crore in Q2-2014. As mentioned above, the higher cost of raw materials consumed dampened the profits reported by the company.

     

    Depreciation and amortisation increased in Q2-2014 by 10.88 per cent to Rs 18.38 crore from Rs 16.57 crore in Q3-2013 and increased by 5.10 per cent as compared to the 17.49 crore for Q2-2014. The company reported 16.36 per cent higher ‘Other Expense’ for Q3-2014 at Rs 112.56 crore as compared to the Rs 96.74 crore in Q3-2013 and 8.47 per cent more than the Rs 103.79 crore in Q2-2014.

     

    JPL Chairman and Managing Director Mahendra Mohan Gupta said, “The highlights of the quarter are the growth of advertising revenue and further improvement in per copy realisation. This has made it possible for the company to report the highest ever operating profit in spite of the steep hike in the cost of newsprint cost. The increase in cover price has not impacted the planned growth of circulation and all the publications including Naidunia registered a healthy growth.”

     

    Click here for financial

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  • iNext rolls out new campaign conceptualised by Mudra Max

    iNext rolls out new campaign conceptualised by Mudra Max

    MUMBAI: Jagran Prakashan’s tabloid iNext has launched a new campaign to make inextlive.com the “news website of choice for the youth”.

    Created by Mudra Max, the campaign will run for three months.

    Mudra Max has defined the target group (TG) of iNext as one with traditional values but global aspirations. They covet fame and are materialistic but still care for their parents. They live in tier 2 and 3 cities and villages of India. On the Internet, the TG is looking for Infotainment – songs, music, local news, and videos.

    Taking these into consideration, a folk singing competition, IKtara, was used to launch the website with a fresh look and feel. The company claims that this competition would bring the TG close to the tabloid; as registrations and updates about the competition will be available on the website of Inextlive, exposure to the fresh website was bound to be there.

    A call to action for the youth was created with the tagline “Aao Maati ki dhun sunao”. An online media plan along with print support from iNext and Dainik Jagran was designed to launch the campaign.

    On the social media front, the Youtube, Facebook and Twitter pages of Inextlive were revamped. The likes to the page were targeted to get regular fans of iNextlive page.

    Also, for the initial three days, a teaser campaign was launched before the final campaign to announce the competition.

    Mudra Group COO Pratap Bose said, “The challenge was to launch with an idea that brings stature, awareness and engagement for iNextlive and endears iNext to its core constituency. Initial results of the campaign are more than encouraging to say the least.”

    Inext COO and editor Alok Sanwal added, “Not only will it bring this largely neglected form of music to the fore, but also help amateur folk singers venture into the mainstream and connect the youth of today with the music of their roots.”

    Iktara is an initiative to have happened on the web-space, wherein except the shortlisting by judges and recording of the content in studios everything else such as the call for entry, registration, upload of user generated content and finally the airing of the content is all on the same platform.

    IKtara received 532 users registered for the competition within four days of the teaser campaign. Also, daily visitors to inextlive.com have almost grown three times after the launch of campaign.

  • Jagran Prakashan adopts ‘rising sun’ brand image

    Jagran Prakashan adopts ‘rising sun’ brand image

    MUMBAI: Jagran Prakashan (JPL) is creating a mother brand as it has diversified into multiple media platforms. The media and communications company on Tuesday unveiled its corporate identity with a brand new logo of the rising sun.

    The  new identity, designed by brand consultancy firm Ray + Keshavan/The Brand Union, aims at getting all its businesses within the media space – print, OOH, activations, mobile and Internet – under one umbrella.

    The group aims to lend a distinctive identity and unified face by using the rising sun as its new logo. 

    The company has used colour palette of red and yellow in the logo to get an energetic and optimistic feel. Also, it is the contemporary rendition of the Sun that is highly distinctive and suitable for the modern, progressive organisation that JPL aspires to be.

    Jagran Prakashan VP-strategy and brand management Basant Rathore said, “This is indeed a proud moment for the organisation as it launches a cohesive corporate identity for the brand. Over a period of time, JPL has diversified into multiple platforms within the media space and today we are into Print, OOH, Activations, Mobile and Internet which with the launch of the new identity falls under one big umbrella.” 

    Currently, the group‘s perception is driven by the flagship brand – Dainik Jagran. And the company believes that there is limited awareness of the other operations. “This is only natural, given that the other businesses are nascent. However, as we move forward, and as our other businesses gain momentum, it was important for us a group to make a move from a respected newspaper to an admired media conglomerate. This will help us enhance and communicate our breadth of offering and scale,” Rathore added.

    The company is hoping its new corporate logo to complement all the businesses of JPL, allowing the brand to create a seamless identity across so as to help leverage the Jagran brand. 

    Ray+Keshavan director Meeta Malhotra said, “We were delighted to partner with Jagran to help them create value in their brand portfolio and create an integrated media powerhouse. Jagran has powerful business divisions to add value to its clients. Using the corporate branding opportunity, we have created a master brand. We strongly believe this will help Jagran in achieving Growth, Direction and Protection for the corporate brand”.

  • TV18 Q4 net up 25%, plans English biz newspaper launch within a year

    TV18 Q4 net up 25%, plans English biz newspaper launch within a year

    MUMBAI:TV18 has posted a net profit of Rs 189.52 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2008, up 25.51 per cent as against Rs 150.99 million from the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal.

    During the period, total revenue has seen a growth to Rs 1.11 billion, from Rs 680.8 million.

    The company’s consolidated revenue has surged 64 per cent, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, to stand at Rs 1.32 billion.

    TV18 MD Raghav Bahl said, “We are extremely happy to declare this quarter’s financial performance. Our news channels continue to lead the business news genre. The revenues from all properties are showing solid growth. Acquisition of Infomedia is underway and should soon be completed. We have forged a JV with Jagran Prakashan to launch a Hindi business newspaper and are also preparing to enter the English business newspaper market”.

    TV18 is planning to launch a Hindi and English business newspaper within 12 months. The English business daily is likely to have Financial Times (which is splitting relationship with Business Standard) as a partner.

    In the news operation segment, total revenue stood at Rs 1.09 billion for the quarter ended 31 March 2008, up 53 per cent year-on-year. Net profit of news operations stood at Rs 300.98 million (after ESOP charge out).

    During the period, Web18’s total revenue stood at Rs 180.18 million, up 112 per cent YoY. Web18 suffered a loss of Rs 146.55 million for the quarter as against a loss of Rs 32.27 million in the last fiscal.

    For Web18, which houses the internet properties, TV18 is planning to list overseas in the calendar year.

    As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Web18 is planning to list in the US to raise funds for expansion. Web18 is looking at diluting 10-15 per cent through an ADR (American Depository Receipt) issue. 

    Total revenue of Newswire18 stood at Rs 44.59 million for the last quarter of FY08, up 26 per cent quarter on quarter basis. Newswire18’s loss was Rs 31.69 million during the period.

    For the full year, TV18 has posted a net profit of Rs 416.84 million, as against Rs 175.11 million a year ago. Total Revenue has climbed from Rs 2.01 billion for the year ended March 31 2007 to Rs 3.65.billion for the year ended 31 March 2008.

    Shares of TV18 rose 2.78 per cent to close Monday at Rs 344.35 on the BSE.

  • Network18, Jagran in JV to launch Hindi biz daily

    MUMBAI: Soon after acquiring ownership control in Infomedia and forging a strategic alliance with Forbes Media for magazine publishing, Network18 has entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Jagran Prakashan to step into the newspaper space.

    For starters, the JV will launch a Hindi business daily in 2008. Though there are several English business dailies, there is no such offering in the Hindi language.

    The JV also intends to launch other Indian language dailies focused on financial and economic news. Says Network18 MD Raghav Bahl, “In recent years, business audiences have grown immensely in the Hindi heartland and regional markets, reflecting a democratisation of enterprise and wealth creation across the nation. We are delighted to partner Jagran Prakashan as it will allow us to fulfill this need powerfully in the print space, by combining TV18’s strengths in business content with Jagran’s intimate understanding of print markets.”

    TV18 has a roster of brands across television, online and information terminal platforms in the business space while Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL) publishes one of India’s largest news daily Dainik Jagran. The venture will also throw open opportunities to exploit across platforms.

    Says JPL CMD Mahendra Mohan Gupta, “Our experience in the language media space has revealed a growing interest in specialized business news and information, which this vehicle will enable us to cater.”

    The deal will help Network18 to access the distribution network of Jagran, a crucial piece in the print business.

    The JV will be governed by a board, comprising representatives from TV18 and Jagran Prakashan, which will oversee management plans and execution.

    The operational specifics in terms of brand name for the business daily and selection of the editorial and business team is in the process of being formalised, says an official release.