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Tag: Jyoti Deshpande

  • Deshpande appointed Network18’s non-exec director

    Deshpande appointed Network18’s non-exec director

    MUMBAI: Eros International Group CEO and MD Jyoti Deshpande has been appointed as non-executive director of Network18 Media & Investments. The appointment was approved by the board of directors of Network18 at a board meeting today.

    The board has also noted the resignation of KR Raja from the directorship of the company with effect from 21 March.

    Deshpande, who is stepping down from her executive role after more than 17 years, will move on to head the media and entertainment (M&E) business at Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) as president of the chairman’s office.

    She will start her role at RIL from April 2018 but will continue to remain as a non-executive director on the board of Eros.

    In her new role at RIL, in Deshpande will lead the company’s initiatives M&E to organically build and grow businesses around the content ecosystem such as broadcasting, films, sports, music, digital, gaming, animation as well as integrate RIL’s existing media investments such as Viacom18 and Balaji Telefilms with a view to build, scale and consolidate the fragmented $20 billion Indian M&E sector.

    Deshpande has over 25 years of experience in media and entertainment across advertising, media consulting, television and film. She has been part of the leadership team of Eros International Plc since 2001 and as Group CEO & MD, she has spearheaded Eros’s growth as a global leader in Indian filmed entertainment.

    Prior to joining Eros in 2001, Deshpande has worked for 7 years in the field of advertising, media consulting and television with companies such as J Walter Thompson India, Mindshare, Zee Television and B4U Television. Ms. Deshpande has a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and Economics from Mumbai University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from SPJIMR, Mumbai University.

    MUMBAI: Network 18 has announced Jyoti Deshpande as new non-executive director. The media professional with overall more than 25 years of experience in media and entertainment field worked as group CEO and MD of Eros International group earlier.

    Network 18’s Board of Directors approved the decision on Wednesday. The resignation of KR Raja from the directorship of the company with effect from 21 March has been noted by the board too.

    From next month, Deshpande will take up the responsibility in Reliance Industry Limited. She will lead the company’s initiatives M&E to organically build and grow businesses around the content ecosystem.

    Prior to her role in Eros, J Walter Thompson India, Mindshare, Zee Television and B4U Television. 

    Though stepping down from her executive role after more than 17 years, Deshpande will continue to remain a non-executive director on the board of Eros.

    Also Read:

    Eros International inks co-production pact with Drishyam Films

    Eros Digital ropes in former Google exec Ali Hussein as COO

  • RIL to buy 5% in Eros; cos to set up $150 mn content fund

    RIL to buy 5% in Eros; cos to set up $150 mn content fund

    MUMBAI: Continuing its media march, which is also an indication of further disruptions in the Indian and global entertainment industry, the USD 51 billion Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is all set to acquire 5 per cent equity stake in NYSE-listed Eros International Plc (Eros) and jointly set up a $150 million (Rs 1,000 crore) fund to co-produce and consolidate content from India.

    In the transaction, which is subject to regulatory and other approvals, RIL, through a subsidiary, is looking to pick up the minority stake at a price of $15 per share, representing an 18 per cent premium to the last closing price of the stock. Eros stock quoted at $13.30 on the NYSE at local US time of 16:01:15 on 20 February 2018, having opened at $13.25. RIL closed Tuesday at Rs 919.40 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

    RIL and Eros International Media Ltd (Eros India) will equally invest in the fund to produce and acquire Indian films and digital originals across all languages, according to a joint statement put out late on Tuesday evening.

    RIL’s investment will also result in some management changes in both the companies. Eros’ group CEO and MD Jyoti Deshpande will be stepping down from her executive role after over 17 years and move on to head the media and entertainment (M&E) business at RIL as the president of the chairman’s office.

    Deshpande will start her role at RIL from April 2018 but will continue to remain as a non-executive director on the board of Eros, while Kishore Lulla will resume his position as group chairman and CEO of Eros, the statement added.

    In her new role at RIL, Deshpande will lead the company’s initiatives in M&E to organically build and grow businesses around the content ecosystem, such as broadcasting, films, sports, music, digital, gaming, animation as well as integrate Reliance’s existing media investments such as Viacom18 and Balaji Telefilms with a view to build, scale and consolidate the fragmented $20 billion Indian M&E sector.

    RIL chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani said, “We are pleased to join hands with Eros, as it will bring further synergies into our plans, making for a win-win partnership. We are delighted to welcome Ms Jyoti Deshpande into the Reliance family and believe that she will not only give wings to our plans but also play a pivotal role in transforming the sector.”

    Lulla elaborated, “I am very pleased that Eros is partnering with RIL in its entertainment journey with several synergies across technology, content and digital with Eros Now. We look forward to collaborating and growing as we continue to make new strides on the digital and content forefronts. I am confident that together, we can make a meaningful difference. Jyoti Deshpande has been an invaluable part of the incredible Eros growth journey and I am confident that she will make a positive impact on the industry in her new role at RIL.”

    Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) is a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry that acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films across all available formats such as cinema, television and digital new media. Eros International Plc became the first Indian media company to list on the NYSE and also runs a fledgling OTT service under Eros Now brand. 

    “I am delighted that RIL has strategically aligned with Eros. My new assignment at RIL will allow me to push boundaries, set new standards of excellence, assemble a world-class young leadership team and adopt a collaborative approach to architect and execute this ambition…but more than anything, I cannot wait to roll up my sleeves,” said Deshpande while commenting on the proposed partnership.

    The Eros and earlier Balaji investments by RIL indicate that Ambani may be investing small in content and distribution companies, but taking big steps towards building an integrated media and entertainment behemoth, an industry observer opined, adding that with the financial muscle that the Ambanis have, the Indian media sector should brace itself for some more disruptions after the Reliance Jio show.

    In the TMT sector, RIL already has investments in media companies like Viacom18 (majority stake), TV18/Network18, telecom company Reliance Jio and a host of other media properties, including magazines and digital ventures.

    Also Read :

    TV18 to increase Viacom18 stake to 51%

    Reliance Industries buys Balaji Telefilms stake for Rs 4.13 bn

    Viacom18 celebrations: Mukesh Ambani sets the roadmap for next 10 years

    Reliance Jio, China’s Omnicom fuel massive global mobile data traffic

  • Eros International inks co-production pact with Drishyam Films

    Eros International inks co-production pact with Drishyam Films

    Mumbai: Eros International Media Ltd (Eros International) has signed a four-film co-production deal with leading production house, Drishyam Films.

    According to Eros International’s release to the BSE, the first of the four projects, titled Kaamyaab starring Sanjay Mishra along with Deepak Dobriyal and directed by National-Award winning filmmaker Hardik Mehta, has already gone on the floor and commenced shooting on November 25.

    In 2018, Eros and Drishyam will jointly produce four films “to pave the way for presenting a new wave of cinema that the companies have come to stand for.”

    Speaking on the alliance, Jyoti Deshpande, Group CEO, Eros International said, “We feel the kind of cinema Drishyam makes and the agenda we have for the next five years at Eros perfectly match. At Eros, we believe that our future slate should have a mix of blockbusters such as Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Bajirao Mastani as well as beautiful stories made on smaller budgets like Aligarh, Nil Battey Sannata, and Newton. We’ve already started our relationship with Drishyam by distributing Newton, Rukh, and Kadvi Hawa and with this new co-production slate, we are hoping to present some very compelling stories to our audiences worldwide.”

    Manish Mundra, founder of Drishyam Films added, “We are very excited to associate with a leading studio like Eros who are backing our kind of content-driven cinema, and happy that our stories have found a home here. It’s heartening that they have come forward to not only distribute our films but also create a vision to tell stories together. We at Drishyam have built a brand of cinema that we are very proud of and we hope the association with Eros will take our films to a much wider audience.”

  • Eros International Plc reports massive bottomline gains for third quarter

    BENGALURU: Eros International Plc (Eros) reported more than a 15 fold (15.4  fold) increase in operating profits for the quarter ended 31 December 2016 (Q3-17, current quarter) as compared to corresponding year ago quarter. Operating profit in the current quarter was $8.2 million as compared to just $0.5 million in Q3-16. The company reported Net Income of $11.5 million as compared to a loss of $2.5 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    The company’s topline (revenues) however declined 5.3 percent year-over-year to $57.3 million in the current quarter from $60.5 million. Adjusted EBITDA in Q3-17 increased by 62.9 percent to $14.5 million, compared to $8.9 million in the prior year period.

    Eros explains that the strong increase in margins and profitability vis-à-vis the slight decline in revenues was due to the negative impact of demonetisation on theatrical revenues in the third quarter partially offset by strong high-margin catalogue sales.

    Company speak

    Eros managing director and group CEO Jyoti Deshpande said, “I am very proud of the progress we have made over the past few months on our journey to transform our Company into a leading global digital distribution business supported by the power of our brand, premium content and unparalleled distribution capabilities. The momentum we highlighted in November continues to accelerate with the growing success of Eros Now, our OTT platform which reached 58 million registered users and crossed 2 million paying subscribers in December 2016.

    As we discussed in our Q2 results last November, the rapidly evolving digital media landscape in India including increased competition from Western OTT players for digital rights has underscored the value of digital content in India. It also reinforces our overall strategy to focus on premium content with the widest possible appeal. In the long term the rising value of digital rights will make our existing content library more valuable and increase the demand for our new release digital content across all platforms – including satellite and cable.

    The demonetisation efforts undertaken by the Indian Government in November have clearly had a short-term impact on many aspects of the Indian economy, especially consumer discretionary spending. To that end while the entire media sector in India has been temporarily impacted by these measures, we feel that the underlying push to digitisation will directly and indirectly benefit our company going forward in many ways. We have been working tirelessly to provide consumers with multiple payment options for Eros Now, from telco billing to digital wallets to mobile payment providers. The push to digitisation reinforces our strategy and we feel we are well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity.

    Finally, our strong upcoming production slate of over 50 films has gone through a stringent green-lighting process for several months. The upcoming lineup includes highly promising projects including five films from Trinity, two Indo‐China co‐productions, a Shah Rukh Khan film from Color Yellow, two sequels from our own content stable like Vicky Donor-2, Badlapur-2, Munna Michael starring Tiger Shroff and Chanda Mama Door Ke starring Sushant Singh, amongst others.”

    ErosNow

    The company says that Eros International’s OTT Platform ErosNow has over 20 lakh (2 million) subscribers worldwide, it has 5.8 crore (58 million) registered users worldwide across WAPP, APP and the web. The platform has rights to over 5,000 films, 250,000 audio tracks with 13 music labels providing music content.

    The company says that Eros Now has integration deals around the world with over 20 different telecom operators and nine different OEMs and connected devices. Further, over the past four months Eros Now has digitally premiered more than 15 films from the Eros International new release slate. Eros Now’s original content offering began with the release of ‘Salute Siachen’, India’s first ever celebrity high endurance expedition to the Siachen Glacier. In addition, Eros Now originals such as Flesh by Siddharth Anand, Smoke and Side Hero will be launched in FY-18.

     

  • Eros International-Central Partnership step into content distribution

    Eros International-Central Partnership step into content distribution

    MUMBAI: Eros International PLC, a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, has announced a strategic partnership with leading Russian distribution and production company Central Partnership (CP), affiliate of Gazprom Media Holding, to promote and distribute Indian and Russian content across multiple platforms in both countries.

    This association includes exploitation via licensing of intellectual property rights owned by each party in their respective markets and distribution of film projects for both India and Russia, opening up the market for the two companies to explore new geographies. CP will dub films from Eros’ extensive film library in Russian language which will enable the company to cater to a much larger audience in Russia and CIS. Eros can further utilize the dubbed content on its digital platform, Eros Now, to reach out to a wider audience in Russia.

    With the rapid growth of satellite pay TV in Russia, there is an increased demand for premium digital and television content. This alliance will pave the way for CP to showcase extensive repository of Bollywood films from the Eros library on pay TV. Furthermore, CP will also approach free TV channels to explore showcasing of Indian titles. Similarly, Eros will endeavor to distribute CP media assets on Indian television.

    This collaboration will also enable the launch of Eros Now, the on-demand OTT digital platform of EROS, in Russia and CIS. CP will endeavor to showcase Eros Now’s VOD content on the leading digital distribution network RUFORM through Rutube (web video streaming service targeted in Russia) while Eros will facilitate featuring Russian content on Eros Now.

    Eros International group CEO & managing director Jyoti Deshpande said, “With our entry into the Russian market, we continue to build our strong global position and are delighted to take the lead in associating with the prestigious Russian film company Central Partnership. Russia’s domestic market potential is promising and coupled with the rise in digital consumption by local audiences, we see a huge opportunity in exploiting exciting, unique and high-quality content together to reach audiences across the two diaspora.”

    Central Partnership CEO Pavel Stepanov added, “Our strategic partnership is a big step for both companies in their international expansion, since content from India is now underrepresented in Russia and vice-versa. Our plan is to benefit from both companies’ leading positions in domestic markets to change this layout.”

    Russia’s box office grew in the first half of this year by 8.6% to 29 billion rubles (US$ 413 million), while attendance was up year-on-year by 9% (112 million tickets sold). Foreign films continue to be the main driver of growth in the market. Between January-June box office for foreign films grew by 9.6% to 23 billion rubles (US$ 327 million), while attendance rose from 78.6 million to 88 million. Meanwhile, box office for Russian films in the period increased by 5.1%, to about 6.1 billion rubles (US$87 million), while attendance improved fractionally from 24.5 million to 24.7 million people.

    Eros International acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films across all available formats such as cinema, television and digital new media.Central Partnership, the exclusive distributor of Paramount Pictures in Russia, owns the largest library there comprising over 700 features and 3300 hours of TV series.

  • Eros International-Central Partnership step into content distribution

    Eros International-Central Partnership step into content distribution

    MUMBAI: Eros International PLC, a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, has announced a strategic partnership with leading Russian distribution and production company Central Partnership (CP), affiliate of Gazprom Media Holding, to promote and distribute Indian and Russian content across multiple platforms in both countries.

    This association includes exploitation via licensing of intellectual property rights owned by each party in their respective markets and distribution of film projects for both India and Russia, opening up the market for the two companies to explore new geographies. CP will dub films from Eros’ extensive film library in Russian language which will enable the company to cater to a much larger audience in Russia and CIS. Eros can further utilize the dubbed content on its digital platform, Eros Now, to reach out to a wider audience in Russia.

    With the rapid growth of satellite pay TV in Russia, there is an increased demand for premium digital and television content. This alliance will pave the way for CP to showcase extensive repository of Bollywood films from the Eros library on pay TV. Furthermore, CP will also approach free TV channels to explore showcasing of Indian titles. Similarly, Eros will endeavor to distribute CP media assets on Indian television.

    This collaboration will also enable the launch of Eros Now, the on-demand OTT digital platform of EROS, in Russia and CIS. CP will endeavor to showcase Eros Now’s VOD content on the leading digital distribution network RUFORM through Rutube (web video streaming service targeted in Russia) while Eros will facilitate featuring Russian content on Eros Now.

    Eros International group CEO & managing director Jyoti Deshpande said, “With our entry into the Russian market, we continue to build our strong global position and are delighted to take the lead in associating with the prestigious Russian film company Central Partnership. Russia’s domestic market potential is promising and coupled with the rise in digital consumption by local audiences, we see a huge opportunity in exploiting exciting, unique and high-quality content together to reach audiences across the two diaspora.”

    Central Partnership CEO Pavel Stepanov added, “Our strategic partnership is a big step for both companies in their international expansion, since content from India is now underrepresented in Russia and vice-versa. Our plan is to benefit from both companies’ leading positions in domestic markets to change this layout.”

    Russia’s box office grew in the first half of this year by 8.6% to 29 billion rubles (US$ 413 million), while attendance was up year-on-year by 9% (112 million tickets sold). Foreign films continue to be the main driver of growth in the market. Between January-June box office for foreign films grew by 9.6% to 23 billion rubles (US$ 327 million), while attendance rose from 78.6 million to 88 million. Meanwhile, box office for Russian films in the period increased by 5.1%, to about 6.1 billion rubles (US$87 million), while attendance improved fractionally from 24.5 million to 24.7 million people.

    Eros International acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films across all available formats such as cinema, television and digital new media.Central Partnership, the exclusive distributor of Paramount Pictures in Russia, owns the largest library there comprising over 700 features and 3300 hours of TV series.

  • Eros International raises $30 million for Eros Now

    Eros International raises $30 million for Eros Now

    MUMBAI: Indian Bollywood major Eros International is getting hotter on OTT. It announced this morning that two of its existing top 10 institutional shareholders have increased their holdings in the company through a private placement and are pumping in approximately $30 million. The proceeds of the allotment will be primarily used to fund the further expansion of Eros Now, its OTT platform.

    Eros International group CEO & MD Jyoti Deshpande commented: “Our vision to transform Eros from a leading film studio to a leading digital company with a global footprint is well underway with Eros Now, our OTT platform crossing one million paid subscribers as of 30 June 2016. Our ownership of content and our strong balance sheet should provide tailwinds to grow the Eros Now subscriber base from one million to ten million and eventually hundred million within the next decade.”

    Eros Now is Eros International Plc’s leading on-demand Bollywood entertainment network accessible anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Eros Now offers users across 135 countries a large library of films (Eros Now has rights to over 5,000 films), as well as premium television shows, music videos and audio tracks.

    Eros Now is also working on launching compelling original drama series for its viewers. It also has compelling product features such as offline viewing where premium subscribers can download the content and view it when not connected to the Internet make Eros Now a unique offering with focus on user experience.

    Available on Apple and Android platforms, Eros Now has integration deals with Airtel, Idea and Reliance Jio and several other operators internationally. A crucial deal was struck with Reliance Jio, the 4G player that has rolled out the most aggressive plan for digital India. In its platform-agnostic strategy, Eros has struck deals with OEMs and telecom operators such as Micromax, Airtel, Idea, LeEco, and Maxis.

    Through the Eros-Jio partnership, new and old movies including Bajirao Mastaani, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, will be available on the JioOnDemand app. With 30 HD channels, Jio is offering live streaming of over 300 TV channels 10 genres and 15 languages.

    Available on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and pre-installed in Android TV, Eros Now crossed over 50 million registered users worldwide across WAP, APP, and Web, as of 30 June 2016. It has already crossed over 1.1 million active unique paying subscribers who have paid for at least one month.

    Eros released 14 films in Q1 FY17 of which three were high, two were medium and nine were low-budget films. Sardaar Gabbar Singh (Telugu),Housefull 3 (Hindi), 24 (Tamil), Marudhu (Tamil) and Ki and Ka (Hindi) were the main revenue earning films during the quarter. Eros Now is planning to acquire 10,000 additional films to add to its strong library.

    Eros Now, in October 2015, partnered with Ortel, an MSO (multi system operator) and ISP, to offer a subscription-based movie streaming service. Eros had, in August last year, also negotiated a partnership with Airtel to offer video and movie content on Wynk. Eros Now tied up with WeChat in June 2015 so as to allow users to watch videos, listen to music, and get Bollywood gossip and news. Eros Now, in the same month, inked a content acquisition deal with Hum TV of Pakistan.

    Eros Now has a five-year worldwide target of at least 15-20 million subscribers with a blended annual ARPU of $30 internationally and $5 from India. Trinity Pictures, owned by Eros International is building its franchises with two Sino-Indian co-productions, with a scheduled FY 2018 release.

    Eros Now hopes to achieve at least two million paying subscribers by the end of FY 2017 and five million paying subscribers by the end of FY-18.

  • Eros International raises $30 million for Eros Now

    Eros International raises $30 million for Eros Now

    MUMBAI: Indian Bollywood major Eros International is getting hotter on OTT. It announced this morning that two of its existing top 10 institutional shareholders have increased their holdings in the company through a private placement and are pumping in approximately $30 million. The proceeds of the allotment will be primarily used to fund the further expansion of Eros Now, its OTT platform.

    Eros International group CEO & MD Jyoti Deshpande commented: “Our vision to transform Eros from a leading film studio to a leading digital company with a global footprint is well underway with Eros Now, our OTT platform crossing one million paid subscribers as of 30 June 2016. Our ownership of content and our strong balance sheet should provide tailwinds to grow the Eros Now subscriber base from one million to ten million and eventually hundred million within the next decade.”

    Eros Now is Eros International Plc’s leading on-demand Bollywood entertainment network accessible anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Eros Now offers users across 135 countries a large library of films (Eros Now has rights to over 5,000 films), as well as premium television shows, music videos and audio tracks.

    Eros Now is also working on launching compelling original drama series for its viewers. It also has compelling product features such as offline viewing where premium subscribers can download the content and view it when not connected to the Internet make Eros Now a unique offering with focus on user experience.

    Available on Apple and Android platforms, Eros Now has integration deals with Airtel, Idea and Reliance Jio and several other operators internationally. A crucial deal was struck with Reliance Jio, the 4G player that has rolled out the most aggressive plan for digital India. In its platform-agnostic strategy, Eros has struck deals with OEMs and telecom operators such as Micromax, Airtel, Idea, LeEco, and Maxis.

    Through the Eros-Jio partnership, new and old movies including Bajirao Mastaani, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, will be available on the JioOnDemand app. With 30 HD channels, Jio is offering live streaming of over 300 TV channels 10 genres and 15 languages.

    Available on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and pre-installed in Android TV, Eros Now crossed over 50 million registered users worldwide across WAP, APP, and Web, as of 30 June 2016. It has already crossed over 1.1 million active unique paying subscribers who have paid for at least one month.

    Eros released 14 films in Q1 FY17 of which three were high, two were medium and nine were low-budget films. Sardaar Gabbar Singh (Telugu),Housefull 3 (Hindi), 24 (Tamil), Marudhu (Tamil) and Ki and Ka (Hindi) were the main revenue earning films during the quarter. Eros Now is planning to acquire 10,000 additional films to add to its strong library.

    Eros Now, in October 2015, partnered with Ortel, an MSO (multi system operator) and ISP, to offer a subscription-based movie streaming service. Eros had, in August last year, also negotiated a partnership with Airtel to offer video and movie content on Wynk. Eros Now tied up with WeChat in June 2015 so as to allow users to watch videos, listen to music, and get Bollywood gossip and news. Eros Now, in the same month, inked a content acquisition deal with Hum TV of Pakistan.

    Eros Now has a five-year worldwide target of at least 15-20 million subscribers with a blended annual ARPU of $30 internationally and $5 from India. Trinity Pictures, owned by Eros International is building its franchises with two Sino-Indian co-productions, with a scheduled FY 2018 release.

    Eros Now hopes to achieve at least two million paying subscribers by the end of FY 2017 and five million paying subscribers by the end of FY-18.

  • Q3-2016: Eros revenue down

    Q3-2016: Eros revenue down

    BENGALURU: The Sunil Lulla led Eros International Media Limited (Eros) reported a 31.7 per cent YoY drop in consolidated Total Income from operations (TIO) at Rs 335.35 crore in the quarter ended 31 December, 2015 (Q3-2016, current quarter). The company had reported TIO of Rs 490.73 crore in the corresponding prior year quarter. Operating revenue in the current quarter declined 33.6 per cent as compared to Rs 504.91 crore in the immediate trailing quarter (quarter on quarter or QoQ).

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore
    All numbers in this are consolidated unless stated otherwise.

    Profit after tax (PAT) in the current quarter declined to almost a third (down 65.5 per cent) year on year (YoY) to Rs 37.77 crore (11.3 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 109.34 crore (22.3 per cent margin) and fell 58.2 per cent as compared to to Rs 90.30 crore (17.9 per cent margin) in the immediate trailing quarter.

    The company says its revenues vary quarter on quarter based on release slate. In Q3-2016, there was only one high budget film compared to three high budget films in Q3-2015 with only partial revenues of Bajirao Mastani.

    In Q3-2016, Eros says that one high budget, four medium and 10 low budget films were released as against three high budget, one medium and eight low budget movies in Q3-2015. During the quarter, 15 movies were released consisting of seven Hindi and five Tamil/Telugu films and three Regional film as compared to 12 films during Q3-2015, which included eight Hindi and four Tamil/Telugu films.

    Eros further informs that apart from the new release slate, a significant part of its revenue is contributed by monetisation of its valuable film library, and generally has a second half skew. Since catalogues revenues have longer payment cycles associated with them the company has decided to defer sales for couple of quarters until its receivables position normalises.

    Receivables

    As on 31 December, 2015, Eros says that its total receivables stood at Rs 6,358 million as compared to Rs 6,300 million as on 30 September, 2015. Receivables not due as of 31 December, 2015 was Rs 339.3 crore as compared to Rs 389.9 crore as on 30 September, 2015. Receivables over 365 days old were Rs 38.8 crore as of 31 December, 2015.

    Between 1 January, 2016 to 7 February, 2016, the company has seen a further collection of Rs 52.5 crore of receivables of the period up to 31 December, 2015. The company says that it remains confident to bring the overall receivables down to Rs 525 crore by the end of FY-2016.

    Company speak

    Eros executive vice chairman and managing director Sunil Lulla said, “I am pleased to announce yet another profitable quarter from Eros International driven by the blockbuster success of Bajirao Mastani and a string of regional releases. Our results for the nine months ended December 2015 reflect the strong performance of our film slate with total domination of the box office charts withBajrangi Bhaijaan, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Welcome Back, etc.; and strong television, ancillary and overseas revenues to complement the box office. We are very proud that our films have been dominating the Bollywood awards declared for CY2015. We continue to pride our green-lighting process and build on our portfolio strategy of films across varied budgets and languages backed by strong pre-sales to de-risk the business model.

    “We are upbeat about our film slate for FY-2017, which includes a string of high-octane releases such as R. Balki’s Ki & Ka, the hit franchise comedy Housefull 3, the highly anticipated rock musical franchise Rock On 2, the action drama, Shivaay and a host of regional releases amongst others,” continued Lulla.
    “We firmly believe that the company has a conservative capital structure and a well-funded balance sheet and we are proud to bring down our Net Debt/Equity ratio to just 0.11 with a free cash flow of Rs 1,320 million in the 9M FY2016. I am confident that with our clear strategic focus, differentiated revenue streams and regional strategy execution, we will continue to deliver solid results in the future and we thank all our shareholders and associates for their continued support,” added Lulla.

    Eros International Plc Group CEO Jyoti Deshpande added, “Calendar year 2015 has been nothing short of brilliant for Eros International operationally with a higher than average box office success of our entire film slate along with critical acclaim and awards to go with it. This year also marked the beginning of the monetisation of the 30 million plus registered users of Eros now our OTT platform and our foray into what could be potentially ground breaking Indo – China co-productions. We continue to support Eros International Media in every possible way with our strong balance sheet and are thrilled that Eros International Media has achieved a free cash flow (FCF) of Rs 1,320 million in the 9M-2016. We look forward to announcing Q3 results of Eros International Plc later in February with a further update on other related matters. once again we thank our shareholders, business associates, the Indian film industry and other partners who have helped us strengthen our resolve even in tough times.”

    Revenue breakup: Eros breakup of revenue for 9M-2016 (nine month period ended 31 December, 2015): Theatrical Revenue – 44.2 per cent; Overseas Revenue – 29.3 per cent; Television and others 26.5 per cent.

    Total Expenditure in the current quarter declined 21.6 per cent YoY to Rs 270.59 crore (80.7 per cent of TIO) as compared to Rs 345.34 crore (70.4 per cent of TIO) and declined 27.1 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 370.97 crore (73.5 per cent of TIO).

    The company’s EBIT (Earnings before Interest and Taxes) declined 53.9 per cent YoY to Rs 67.65 crore (20.2 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 146.63 crore (29.9 per cent margin) and declined 51.3 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 139.01 crore (27.5 per cent margin).

    Employee Benefits Expense (EBE) in the current quarter increased 47.2 per cent YoY to Rs 14.12 crore (4.2 per cent of TIO) as compared to Rs 9.59 crore (two per cent of TIO), but declined 1.2 per cent QoQ from Rs 14.29 crore (2.8 per cent of TIO).

  • Q3-2016: Eros revenue down

    Q3-2016: Eros revenue down

    BENGALURU: The Sunil Lulla led Eros International Media Limited (Eros) reported a 31.7 per cent YoY drop in consolidated Total Income from operations (TIO) at Rs 335.35 crore in the quarter ended 31 December, 2015 (Q3-2016, current quarter). The company had reported TIO of Rs 490.73 crore in the corresponding prior year quarter. Operating revenue in the current quarter declined 33.6 per cent as compared to Rs 504.91 crore in the immediate trailing quarter (quarter on quarter or QoQ).

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore
    All numbers in this are consolidated unless stated otherwise.

    Profit after tax (PAT) in the current quarter declined to almost a third (down 65.5 per cent) year on year (YoY) to Rs 37.77 crore (11.3 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 109.34 crore (22.3 per cent margin) and fell 58.2 per cent as compared to to Rs 90.30 crore (17.9 per cent margin) in the immediate trailing quarter.

    The company says its revenues vary quarter on quarter based on release slate. In Q3-2016, there was only one high budget film compared to three high budget films in Q3-2015 with only partial revenues of Bajirao Mastani.

    In Q3-2016, Eros says that one high budget, four medium and 10 low budget films were released as against three high budget, one medium and eight low budget movies in Q3-2015. During the quarter, 15 movies were released consisting of seven Hindi and five Tamil/Telugu films and three Regional film as compared to 12 films during Q3-2015, which included eight Hindi and four Tamil/Telugu films.

    Eros further informs that apart from the new release slate, a significant part of its revenue is contributed by monetisation of its valuable film library, and generally has a second half skew. Since catalogues revenues have longer payment cycles associated with them the company has decided to defer sales for couple of quarters until its receivables position normalises.

    Receivables

    As on 31 December, 2015, Eros says that its total receivables stood at Rs 6,358 million as compared to Rs 6,300 million as on 30 September, 2015. Receivables not due as of 31 December, 2015 was Rs 339.3 crore as compared to Rs 389.9 crore as on 30 September, 2015. Receivables over 365 days old were Rs 38.8 crore as of 31 December, 2015.

    Between 1 January, 2016 to 7 February, 2016, the company has seen a further collection of Rs 52.5 crore of receivables of the period up to 31 December, 2015. The company says that it remains confident to bring the overall receivables down to Rs 525 crore by the end of FY-2016.

    Company speak

    Eros executive vice chairman and managing director Sunil Lulla said, “I am pleased to announce yet another profitable quarter from Eros International driven by the blockbuster success of Bajirao Mastani and a string of regional releases. Our results for the nine months ended December 2015 reflect the strong performance of our film slate with total domination of the box office charts withBajrangi Bhaijaan, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Welcome Back, etc.; and strong television, ancillary and overseas revenues to complement the box office. We are very proud that our films have been dominating the Bollywood awards declared for CY2015. We continue to pride our green-lighting process and build on our portfolio strategy of films across varied budgets and languages backed by strong pre-sales to de-risk the business model.

    “We are upbeat about our film slate for FY-2017, which includes a string of high-octane releases such as R. Balki’s Ki & Ka, the hit franchise comedy Housefull 3, the highly anticipated rock musical franchise Rock On 2, the action drama, Shivaay and a host of regional releases amongst others,” continued Lulla.
    “We firmly believe that the company has a conservative capital structure and a well-funded balance sheet and we are proud to bring down our Net Debt/Equity ratio to just 0.11 with a free cash flow of Rs 1,320 million in the 9M FY2016. I am confident that with our clear strategic focus, differentiated revenue streams and regional strategy execution, we will continue to deliver solid results in the future and we thank all our shareholders and associates for their continued support,” added Lulla.

    Eros International Plc Group CEO Jyoti Deshpande added, “Calendar year 2015 has been nothing short of brilliant for Eros International operationally with a higher than average box office success of our entire film slate along with critical acclaim and awards to go with it. This year also marked the beginning of the monetisation of the 30 million plus registered users of Eros now our OTT platform and our foray into what could be potentially ground breaking Indo – China co-productions. We continue to support Eros International Media in every possible way with our strong balance sheet and are thrilled that Eros International Media has achieved a free cash flow (FCF) of Rs 1,320 million in the 9M-2016. We look forward to announcing Q3 results of Eros International Plc later in February with a further update on other related matters. once again we thank our shareholders, business associates, the Indian film industry and other partners who have helped us strengthen our resolve even in tough times.”

    Revenue breakup: Eros breakup of revenue for 9M-2016 (nine month period ended 31 December, 2015): Theatrical Revenue – 44.2 per cent; Overseas Revenue – 29.3 per cent; Television and others 26.5 per cent.

    Total Expenditure in the current quarter declined 21.6 per cent YoY to Rs 270.59 crore (80.7 per cent of TIO) as compared to Rs 345.34 crore (70.4 per cent of TIO) and declined 27.1 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 370.97 crore (73.5 per cent of TIO).

    The company’s EBIT (Earnings before Interest and Taxes) declined 53.9 per cent YoY to Rs 67.65 crore (20.2 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 146.63 crore (29.9 per cent margin) and declined 51.3 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 139.01 crore (27.5 per cent margin).

    Employee Benefits Expense (EBE) in the current quarter increased 47.2 per cent YoY to Rs 14.12 crore (4.2 per cent of TIO) as compared to Rs 9.59 crore (two per cent of TIO), but declined 1.2 per cent QoQ from Rs 14.29 crore (2.8 per cent of TIO).