ITV

Tag: NDTV Group

  • NDTV hires Malika Malhotra, backing substance over soundbites

    NDTV hires Malika Malhotra, backing substance over soundbites

    MUMBAI: NDTV has roped in seasoned anchor-reporter Malika Malhotra, adding serious weight to its editorial bench and doubling down on journalism that favours depth over din. With nearly a decade of ground-zero reporting, Malhotra’s induction signals a clear editorial intent — more Bharat, less breaking.

    Malhotra made headlines for her 100-day marathon at Delhi’s Singhu border, covering the farmers’ protest with grit, grace and a near-unheard-of 12-hour daily routine. But what began as an assignment became a calling — one that earned her the trust of protestors and the respect of viewers.

    She’s also among the few to return to stories the rest of the media had moved on from. Her follow-up reporting on the Joshimath land subsidence crisis brought attention back to families still stuck in limbo, proving journalism doesn’t end when the cameras pack up.

    ‘NDTV has always felt like a space that values calm, clarity, and connection. For me journalism is not about being part of the noise, it’s about getting closer to what really matters. That’s the kind of journalism I have always believed in. Audiences today aren’t just looking for news. They want insight, honesty, and a voice that speaks for them — not to them. NDTV has consistently built that trust. I am proud to be part of it,’ Malhotra said on her joining.

    NDTV group CEO & editor-in-chief Rahul Kanwal said, ‘We are very happy to welcome Malika to the NDTV family. She represents the kind of journalism we believe in — honest, grounded, and connected to real people. Her presence will add tremendous value to our editorial direction.’

    Her upcoming show on NDTV India (details under wraps for now) will carry this DNA forward — storytelling that’s relevant, rooted, and refuses to shout for attention.

    In an era of outrage cycles and race-to-the-top tickers, NDTV’s bet on Malhotra is a signal flare: the age of thoughtful, impact-first journalism may just be making a comeback.

  • NDTV reports Q4 earning with 59 per cent revenue growth Y-O-Y

    NDTV reports Q4 earning with 59 per cent revenue growth Y-O-Y

    Mumbai: NDTV Group announces its financial performance for Q4, 2023-2024, marked by a 59 per cent revenue growth compared to the same period last year.

    NDTV Convergence, the company’s digital arm also witnessed a significant 39 per cent increase in global digital traffic in March 2024 over April 2023 on its platforms. The NDTV Group’s ability to adapt to evolving consumer preferences and market dynamics has been instrumental in driving this impressive growth.

    During the financial year, NDTV expanded its presence across consumer segments with launch of NDTV MP-CG, NDTV Rajasthan, and NDTV Profit. Additionally, NDTV Marathi is being launched on 1 May. This strategic expansion drive from a two channel setup to a six channel setup has meant substantial investments in next-generation infrastructure. A cutting-edge broadcast facility in BKC, Mumbai is up and running. Another state-of-art integrated facility will be operational in NCR, Delhi in the coming months. While these investments strengthen future growth objectives, they have had an impact on short-term financial performance. NDTV remains committed to creating long-term shareholder value by leveraging its premium brand value to launch new products, expand audience and drive efficiency by investments in technology.

    Results for Q4 FY ‘24 & Full Year FY ’24:

    a. Standalone results: Q4 Loss (PAT) is at Rs 6.7 crores in CY from profit of Rs. 3.3 crores (after exceptional items) LY. Full year loss (PAT) is at Rs 12.3 crores in CY from profit of Rs. 28.6 crores LY.

    b. Consolidated Results:

    . Q4 Loss (PAT) is at Rs 8.7 crores in CY from loss of Rs 1.1crores LY. Full year loss (PAT) is at Rs 21.4 crores in CY from profit of Rs. 52.9 crores LY.

    . Q4 revenue is at Rs 106.5 crores in CY versus Rs 67.0 crores LY.

    The year was a remarkable one for NDTV as the most trusted and credible news brand in the country. Reuters Institute ranked NDTV.com as the most popular news website in India.

    NDTV continues to be the preferred news brand to work at. Attrition was down by 58 per cent from the previous year. It also added high-profile anchors and other top industry talent to its roster.

    As the new financial year commences, NDTV continues its expansion momentum with the upcoming launch of its next regional news channel, NDTV Marathi and reimagining its international offering under, NDTV World, featuring original shows with an Indian perspective catering to a global audience and the Indian diaspora.

  • NDTV group Q1 FY23 revenue at Rs 113.70 crore; PAT at Rs 23.2 crore

    NDTV group Q1 FY23 revenue at Rs 113.70 crore; PAT at Rs 23.2 crore

    Mumbai: The NDTV group reported its first quarter results for financial year 2023. The company’s revenue stood at Rs 113.70 crore up by Rs 18 crore versus the corresponding quarter last year. The company’s profit after tax (PAT) stood at Rs 23.2 crore up by Rs 9.25 crore.  

    The group’s TV arm recorded a profit of Rs 12.5 crore. Its digital arm NDTV Convergence has recorded a PAT of Rs 13.7 crore.

    According to the company’s statement, it should be noted that Q1 last year included an exceptional item (sale of an investment). If that were to be excluded, the revenue has improved by Rs 24.5 crore over last year and profit has improved by Rs 13.7 crore over last year.

    The group’s external liabilities are down by Rs 6 crore including bank borrowings in the quarter and by Rs 206 crore including bank borrowings from three years ago (as of March 2019).

  • NDTV records profit of Rs 17.8 crore in Q4 FY22

    NDTV records profit of Rs 17.8 crore in Q4 FY22

    Mumbai: NDTV Group’s television company NDTV Ltd has recorded revenue of Rs 65.3 crore profit of Rs 17.8 crore for the quarter ended 31 March. The media company reported revenue of Rs 262.13 crore profit of Rs 59.2 crore for the year 2021-2022.

    The annual consolidated profit for the group was Rs 79.7 crore. The group’s profit on core business, excluding gains on investments, has nearly doubled from Rs 38.5 crore to Rs 73.3 crore, according to the statement.

    The company’s digital arm NDTV Convergence has delivered its highest revenue and profit, said the statement. “Its position as the market leader for credible news has helped it consolidate its position as one of the country’s few profitable online content companies.”

    The group has in the year 2021-2022 cut its external liabilities (including borrowings) by Rs 106.4 crore.

    “NDTV thanks with much gratitude each member of its exceptional team for their commitment and contribution to strengthening the group’s financial position and to its focus on independent journalism,” said the company in a statement.

  • NDTV Group posts Rs 27.6 crore profit after tax in Q3 FY22

    NDTV Group posts Rs 27.6 crore profit after tax in Q3 FY22

    Mumbai; NDTV Group on Thursday posted its third-quarter financial results for FY 2022. The media company reported a profit after tax of Rs 27.6 crore. Its TV business reported a profit of Rs 17.3 crore for the third quarter.

    The group’s year-to-date profit stands at Rs 55.6 crore out of which its TV business generated Rs 41.4 crore.

    NDTV’s digital arm NDTV Convergence saw a profit of Rs 12.2 crore during the quarter. “This quarter is the company’s second-highest ever for profit after tax; the best quarter in this regard was within the last year, further establishing Convergence as a consistently profitable online content company which is delivering aggressive growth,” said the statement.

    The group reported that its external liabilities have decreased by Rs 69.2 crore so far in the financial year. Bank borrowings for the group have also shrunk by Rs 42.8 crore year-to-date.

    “These results have been achieved amid the many difficulties posed by the pandemic. NDTV’s reporters and production crews have performed outstandingly, often while being at some risk themselves, delivering the latest and most credible information from across the country on Covid developments; for this, the company is deeply grateful, as also extremely proud,” said the statement.

  • NDTV Convergence records best-ever Q2

    NDTV Convergence records best-ever Q2

    MUMBAI: The NDTV Group and NDTV Ltd, the broadcasting operations under the group, both have declared profit in the second quarter of this financial year. From the same quarter of last year, the companies have made a big turnaround. NDTV's broadcast operations have declared a profit of Rs 19 lakh.

    In the second quarter, the EBITDA or operating profit stood at Rs 6.32 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 9.12 crore for the same time last year. On the other hand, operating costs for the broadcast operations have reduced by Rs 26.27 crore year-on-year. Since the Q1 of this FY, the same has reduced by nearly Rs 7.4 crore.

    EBITDA at the group level stood at Rs 11.70 crore, a turnaround of Rs 21.49 crore y-o-y as EBITDA losses for the same quarter last year were Rs 9.79 crores.

    Notably, the company's digital arm NDTV Convergence recorded its best-ever Q2 with the highest revenue for this period. While the traffic has grown by 45 percent over the same period last year, ndtv.com is India's biggest news website according to SimilarWeb data.

  • NDTV and L’Oréal Paris host ‘Women of Worth’ Conclave

    NDTV and L’Oréal Paris host ‘Women of Worth’ Conclave

    MUMBAI:  With the aim of making the ‘Women of Worth’ initiative bigger and showcasing its commitment towards the cause, L’Oréal Paris in partnership with NDTV hosted ‘Women of Worth’ conclave on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

    Distinguished personalities and influencers from across the country were invited to participate in the discussion that tried to touch upon key women related issues that are plaguing modern India and the role played by the women in our lives in today’s age and time.

    Divided into four sessions, the panel discussion brought to the forefront some hard hitting points on women’s issues like gender equality, pay parity, safety for women in India and the position of women in the corporate world. The afternoon was opened by Dr. Prannoy Roy, Executive Co-Chairperson, NDTV Group.

    Welcoming the panelists, Jean-Christophe Letellier, Managing Director, L’Oréal India,said, “L’Oréal believes that true beauty is about transforming people’s lives. That’s why ‘Women of Worth’ as a platform is extremely close to our heart. We believe it’s our duty to inspire and encourage more women to develop initiatives that will create new opportunities to change our lives, and of course also change the course of how the world sees them. Through initiatives like Women of Worth, we’d like to celebrate brilliant examples of beauty in diversity and talent that does not take into account the gender or ethnicity of the person”

    Session 1: We, The Unequal

    Panellists: Priya Dutt (politician) Anjum Chopra (Former Indian Cricket Team Captain) Naina Lal Kidwai(Chairperson, Max Financial), Manashi Guha(VP-Marketing, L’Oréal India), Suhel Seth (Managing Partner, Counselage India) and Harshavardhan Neotia, (President FICCI &Chairaman, AmbujaNeotia Group)

    ·         The session highlighted how modern women have to fight inequalities across industries – and women in general command lesser remuneration than men, quality of work notwithstanding

    ·         Panellists unanimously agreed that women need to market themselves better, stand up for each other a lot more, and that we also need to create a more robust social infrastructure in this country for women

    ·         Suhel Seth, “There are three issues that we need to discuss. We men don’t respect women as much as we should; We treat women as objects of benevolence or patronage, which is abominable; Our laws don’t support women as much as they should. We cannot have gender quotas, we must have gender respect.”

    Session 2: Financial Empowerment of Women in India

    Panellists:Anjolie Ela Menon (Artist), Dr.Syeda S Hameed (Former member of the Planning Commission), Preeti Malhotra (Chairperson, ASSOCHAM), Jayant Krishna (CEO, National Skill Development Corporation) and Vineet Nayar (Founder, Sampark, Foundation & Former CEO, HCL, Technologies)

    ·  Emphasis on how more corporates need to support the aspirations of women to establish successful careers across industries

    · Preeti Malhotra said, “You need to get women into decision making positions. Only then will gender parity increase and you will see more women-friendly policies.”

    Session 3: Looking Back, Looking forward

    Panellists: Arati Devi (Sarpanch, Dhunkapada, Odisha), Justice Leila Seth, Raghu Rai (photographer), Nidhi Dubey (Country Director, Girl Rising) and Farooq Abdullah (Politician)

    · Focused on young girls and boys having their own growth space and the need to provide holistic education at the grass root level

    · Mr. Abdullah said, “While women have their education degrees, the government and the corporates need to do more to channelize their future.”

    · Justice Seth said, “While there are changes in law and society, the mindset of people is slow to change and this is the biggest challenge we face.”

    Session 4: The Way We See Women

    Panellists: Shabana Azmi(Actress),Vrinda Grover (Lawyer, Researcher, Human Rights & Women’s Rights Activist),Shiv Vishwanathan(Social Scientist) and KalpanaVishwanath(Co-founder Safetipin, Former Chief of Jagori) and Kalilkesh Singh Deo (Politician)

    · Key points were raised regarding the prejudice that exists in India towards how a girl is viewed in society and is expected to behave

    · Commenting on the way women in Bollywood are positioned, Shabana Azmi said, “Filmmakers and artists have to exercise self-regulation in how we project women, objectifying and commodifying women is wrong.”

    Speaking at the conclave, Vikram Chandra, CEO NDTV Group said, “On International Women’s Day, we must take a pledge to promote and protect the right of every woman in the world. NDTV as a media house has always supported women’s empowerment. We are proud to be associated with the Women of Worth campaign that has stood for this cause globally and has applauded women who have made a significant impact on society. The conclave was an excellent gathering of like-minded people to share their thoughts and solutions for a promising future for women around the world.”

    Praising the enthusiastic participation from the panelists, Mr. Satyaki Ghosh, Director, Consumer Products Division, L’Oréal India concluded the event saying,“It was wonderful to see such passionate flow of opinions regarding the various issues discussed today. I would like to laud all the panellists present here who took time out from their schedule to participate in this initiative. Women have the same aspirations, abilities and qualities that men do and therefore they should have equal opportunities to develop their faculties. It is time we come out with more initiatives like ‘Women of Worth’ that recognize individual identity of women and make the women of our country feel that they are absolutely ‘worth it!’

    The L’Oréal Paris ‘Women of Worth’awards recognize the achievements of women who possess a strong personality, are sensitive to needs of the society and a pillar of support and strength in all walks of life. The nominees have been shortlisted after an extensive research process while identifying each one’s key contribution in their respective fields. These unique awards felicitate ‘Women of Worth’, while celebrating the many facets of their inspirational journey.

    Through a public voting system in conjunction with jury inputs, the campaign will end in March 20th, 2016. A transparent and well-structured voting system for the public will be set up to ensure that the most deserving nominees win. A glittering ceremony, where the nominees will be awarded the ‘Women of Worth’ titles, will be held in Mumbai on 28thMarch 2016.

  • NDTV and L’Oréal Paris host ‘Women of Worth’ Conclave

    NDTV and L’Oréal Paris host ‘Women of Worth’ Conclave

    MUMBAI:  With the aim of making the ‘Women of Worth’ initiative bigger and showcasing its commitment towards the cause, L’Oréal Paris in partnership with NDTV hosted ‘Women of Worth’ conclave on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

    Distinguished personalities and influencers from across the country were invited to participate in the discussion that tried to touch upon key women related issues that are plaguing modern India and the role played by the women in our lives in today’s age and time.

    Divided into four sessions, the panel discussion brought to the forefront some hard hitting points on women’s issues like gender equality, pay parity, safety for women in India and the position of women in the corporate world. The afternoon was opened by Dr. Prannoy Roy, Executive Co-Chairperson, NDTV Group.

    Welcoming the panelists, Jean-Christophe Letellier, Managing Director, L’Oréal India,said, “L’Oréal believes that true beauty is about transforming people’s lives. That’s why ‘Women of Worth’ as a platform is extremely close to our heart. We believe it’s our duty to inspire and encourage more women to develop initiatives that will create new opportunities to change our lives, and of course also change the course of how the world sees them. Through initiatives like Women of Worth, we’d like to celebrate brilliant examples of beauty in diversity and talent that does not take into account the gender or ethnicity of the person”

    Session 1: We, The Unequal

    Panellists: Priya Dutt (politician) Anjum Chopra (Former Indian Cricket Team Captain) Naina Lal Kidwai(Chairperson, Max Financial), Manashi Guha(VP-Marketing, L’Oréal India), Suhel Seth (Managing Partner, Counselage India) and Harshavardhan Neotia, (President FICCI &Chairaman, AmbujaNeotia Group)

    ·         The session highlighted how modern women have to fight inequalities across industries – and women in general command lesser remuneration than men, quality of work notwithstanding

    ·         Panellists unanimously agreed that women need to market themselves better, stand up for each other a lot more, and that we also need to create a more robust social infrastructure in this country for women

    ·         Suhel Seth, “There are three issues that we need to discuss. We men don’t respect women as much as we should; We treat women as objects of benevolence or patronage, which is abominable; Our laws don’t support women as much as they should. We cannot have gender quotas, we must have gender respect.”

    Session 2: Financial Empowerment of Women in India

    Panellists:Anjolie Ela Menon (Artist), Dr.Syeda S Hameed (Former member of the Planning Commission), Preeti Malhotra (Chairperson, ASSOCHAM), Jayant Krishna (CEO, National Skill Development Corporation) and Vineet Nayar (Founder, Sampark, Foundation & Former CEO, HCL, Technologies)

    ·  Emphasis on how more corporates need to support the aspirations of women to establish successful careers across industries

    · Preeti Malhotra said, “You need to get women into decision making positions. Only then will gender parity increase and you will see more women-friendly policies.”

    Session 3: Looking Back, Looking forward

    Panellists: Arati Devi (Sarpanch, Dhunkapada, Odisha), Justice Leila Seth, Raghu Rai (photographer), Nidhi Dubey (Country Director, Girl Rising) and Farooq Abdullah (Politician)

    · Focused on young girls and boys having their own growth space and the need to provide holistic education at the grass root level

    · Mr. Abdullah said, “While women have their education degrees, the government and the corporates need to do more to channelize their future.”

    · Justice Seth said, “While there are changes in law and society, the mindset of people is slow to change and this is the biggest challenge we face.”

    Session 4: The Way We See Women

    Panellists: Shabana Azmi(Actress),Vrinda Grover (Lawyer, Researcher, Human Rights & Women’s Rights Activist),Shiv Vishwanathan(Social Scientist) and KalpanaVishwanath(Co-founder Safetipin, Former Chief of Jagori) and Kalilkesh Singh Deo (Politician)

    · Key points were raised regarding the prejudice that exists in India towards how a girl is viewed in society and is expected to behave

    · Commenting on the way women in Bollywood are positioned, Shabana Azmi said, “Filmmakers and artists have to exercise self-regulation in how we project women, objectifying and commodifying women is wrong.”

    Speaking at the conclave, Vikram Chandra, CEO NDTV Group said, “On International Women’s Day, we must take a pledge to promote and protect the right of every woman in the world. NDTV as a media house has always supported women’s empowerment. We are proud to be associated with the Women of Worth campaign that has stood for this cause globally and has applauded women who have made a significant impact on society. The conclave was an excellent gathering of like-minded people to share their thoughts and solutions for a promising future for women around the world.”

    Praising the enthusiastic participation from the panelists, Mr. Satyaki Ghosh, Director, Consumer Products Division, L’Oréal India concluded the event saying,“It was wonderful to see such passionate flow of opinions regarding the various issues discussed today. I would like to laud all the panellists present here who took time out from their schedule to participate in this initiative. Women have the same aspirations, abilities and qualities that men do and therefore they should have equal opportunities to develop their faculties. It is time we come out with more initiatives like ‘Women of Worth’ that recognize individual identity of women and make the women of our country feel that they are absolutely ‘worth it!’

    The L’Oréal Paris ‘Women of Worth’awards recognize the achievements of women who possess a strong personality, are sensitive to needs of the society and a pillar of support and strength in all walks of life. The nominees have been shortlisted after an extensive research process while identifying each one’s key contribution in their respective fields. These unique awards felicitate ‘Women of Worth’, while celebrating the many facets of their inspirational journey.

    Through a public voting system in conjunction with jury inputs, the campaign will end in March 20th, 2016. A transparent and well-structured voting system for the public will be set up to ensure that the most deserving nominees win. A glittering ceremony, where the nominees will be awarded the ‘Women of Worth’ titles, will be held in Mumbai on 28thMarch 2016.

  • Television and online medium need different approach for revenue making

    Television and online medium need different approach for revenue making

    NOIDA: The news television space is burdened with cash crunch. And addressing this core issue were the news industry giants at the 7th News Television Summit organised by indiantelevision.com. The Summit which began with a session on ‘Content monetisation through conventional and digital platforms of news channel’ was moderated by Provocateur Advisory principal Paritosh Joshi and attended by NDTV Group CEO Vikram Chandra, TV Today Network CEO Ashish Bagga, IBN18 Network CEO Avinash Kaul, Doordarshan ADG news Mayank Agarwal and Focus News Network group CEO Neeraj Sanan.

     

    Joshi began the session by asking Chandra how viewership data has changed since NDTV raised its voice against the alleged faulty ratings three years ago. Chandra said that they weren’t getting correct ratings and when they talked about it to others they were told to either swim with the tide or do something different which would get the TRPs. Soon after, they were joined by other broadcasters as well.

     

    Joshi then asked Bagga the secret behind Aaj Tak’s dominance in the genre for the last 10 years. Bagga highlighted that it was not easy to sustain its position given the tough environment. “There was reluctance from various quarters so it was necessary to push that credibility,” he said. He added that the network had grown 25 per cent since last year and while others were growing at just two to five per cent.

     

    Talking about the ad rates, Bagga said that the price for a slot on news channels, unlike the GECs is pitiable. However, TV Today has put its business on a sustainable model of 20 per cent y-o-y growth. “This has been done by quality, resource, building perception and getting the required numbers,” he said.

     

    Doordarshan, on being asked about its transformation, said that it had done a good revamp to maintain norms and standards. “People may feel that we put out the news stories a little later than the others, but that’s not the case. We are alert,” said Agrawal.

     

    He however agreed that a lot is still left to be done apart from the new programmes and the new look it has given to its anchors. “We have also set up new teams in order to cover news better and are also focusing on our online medium,” informed Agrawal.  

     

    Joshi also highlighted the fact that there is little differentiation in content between the news channels. Disagreeing with the observation, Kaul said that though it could be true, the approach of each channel for a story is different. “You can cater the news to different age groups and segment it differently,” he opined.

     

    Kaul is optimistic about the new rating system that will be brought out by BARC India. “This will bring in change to the type of content being produced,” he said.

     

    Joshi also brought out the common criticism that the news industry has to deal with. “Various quarters have said that while the news broadcasters crib about the bad business, the genre still sees new players getting into it every now and then. Is it the political money that is going into it?” questioned Joshi.

     

     Sanan at this point said that the reason for this was the fact that people see a lot of potential in news because of its ever growing consumption. “If all news channels give same content then that means there is a need for someone to come and stand out. If people are willing to pay and if you can package your content well then there is no reason why one cannot get into it,” he said.

     

    While digital is a growing platform, Joshi asked whether the algorithm that it follows is trustworthy with regards to journalism. Chandra highlighted the fact that even today the brand of an anchor is important. “When people come to the online medium, they want to come to trustworthy sources rather than a layman giving information,” he opined.

     

    Kaul said that with BARC India bringing in meters in the rural areas, the genre will have to strengthen its coverage in those areas as well. “With 4G and broadband making in-roads, we will be in a better state,” he said.

     

    Chandra stated that it was not right to replicate the TV business model for online and that digital was growing at a CAGR of 40 per cent.

  • Mobile streaming platform Zenga TV looks to double revenues

    Mobile streaming platform Zenga TV looks to double revenues

    MUMBAI: Zenga Media, the mobile and web streaming company, has set itself an ambitious target of doubling its revenues in the current financial year.

    Zenga Media, which owns the mobile and web streaming platform Zenga TV, is promoted by former Sony TV executive Shabir Momin and Vikramjiet Roy.

    Shabir Momin, the MD and CTO of Zenga TV, says that the company‘s total revenue in the last fiscal was in the region of $2-3 million.

    According to Momin, the company has turned RoI (Return on Investment) positive in the last two fiscals and is paying for its own expenses.

    “The promoters did not have to infuse funds in the company as it is RoI positive,” he adds.

    No equity divestment is planned either, rather the aim is to grow the company before exploring fund raising avenues.

    Zenga TV is an ad-supported mobile and web streaming platform. It claims to have 22-23 million active users every month. Zenga‘s biggest differentiator, according to Momin, is that it is compatible with even feature phones and the technology is in-house.

    The digital streaming platform has content partnerships with the NDTV group, Times Television Network, BAG Network, Reliance Broadcast Network, and Raj TV Network.

    However, the big three television networks Star India, Zee Network, and MSM are missing from the platform. The Viacom18 channels too are no longer available on the platform.

    “While we don‘t have Star, Zee and Sony, we do have a lot international channels in our offering. Over and above that, we also produce content in various genres for our platform,” he avers.

    The absence of these powerful networks from Zenga TV means that the platform‘s entertainment bouquet is a a bit of a non-starter.

    However, Zenga TV has strong news offering with the presence of NDTV, Times Now, CNBC TV18, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today amongst others.

    News is one of the most consumed genres on mobile after entertainment and movies, says Momin. After news, the sports genre has a lot of traction among mobile TV consumers.

    However, the cost of acquiring sports rights makes it an unviable proposition to monetise, reveals Momin. After flirting with IPL rights in 2009, Zenga gave it up as it discovered it could not recoup its investments.

    “It‘s better to be profitable rather than taking risks with cricket rights,” he asserts.

    Zenga TV generally does 50-50 revenue share deals with broadcasters which means that its content costs is zilch. However, monetising content through advertisement is still not that easy a task.

    Reason: The ad spends on mobile are still very low compared to the kind of reach that it delivers. However, Momin is optimistic. His optimism stems from the predictions that mobile ad spends are expected to grow to Rs 3 billion by 2015 up from the current Rs 1.5 billion.

    Zenga TV plans to play the volume game by being a free content platform. Going pay is not a good option as one has to be at the mercy of telecom operators, who dictate terms to platform owners on revenue share, points out Momin.