ITV

Tag: NDTV

  • CBI books NDTV promoters for FDI violations: report

    CBI books NDTV promoters for FDI violations: report

    MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked promoters of news channel NDTV, Prannoy Roy, Radhika Roy, former CEO and director Vikram Chandra and some Income Tax officials on charges of conspiracy, cheating and corruption. They are being accused of allegedly violating FDI rules between 2004 and 2010.

    As per a report by Hindustan Times, NDTV has dismissed the allegations stating that they are ‘malicious’ and ‘fabricated’ so as to ‘silence free and fair reportage’.

    The CBI is alleging that NDTV colluded with IT officials to bring tainted money into the system through a web of complex transactions through FDI. This was done by floating 32 subsidiaries in various tax havens across the world such as Mauritius, Netherlands, Dubai, UK and Malaysia. The CBI states that NDTV’s London company raised funds worth $120 million from two companies while the Netherlands company raised $150 million from NBCUniversal, which was at the time a subsidiary of General Electric Inc. The money was then routed to different NDTV Group subsidiaries such as NDTV Imagine Ltd, NDTV Life Style Ltd, NDTV Emerging Market BV, NDTV Convergence Ltd and NDTV Labs Ltd.

    NDTV, in a written response, said, “As part of the continued persecution of free press, a new CBI case has been filed about a $150 million investment in NDTV’s non-news business by NBCU, then owned by General Electric, a massive American conglomerate. The case makes the ludicrous charge that the transaction, declared to all relevant authorities in the US and India, laundered money for unknown public servants.”

    “Attempts to silence free and fair reportage through malicious and fabricated charges will not succeed. This is not about a company or individuals but about a larger battle to maintain the freedom of the press, something which India has always been renowned for,” the statement added.

  • NDTV and Dettol launches Season 6 of Banega Swasth India

    NDTV and Dettol launches Season 6 of Banega Swasth India

    MUMBAI: India’s most trusted news network NDTV, along with partner Dettol and Harpic, is back with a continuation of the NDTV-Dettol BanegaSwachh India campaign, but moving its focus from BanegaSwachh to BanegaSwasth India, supported by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan.

    The BanegaSwachh India campaign began in 2014 when toilet coverage in India was 38.7% and now in year 2019 it stands at 99.78%. A success of this scale takes strong leadership at the highest level, public private partnership and clear vision and timelines. It is indeed a movement we and the nation are proud of. The campaign now has the same commitment towards a healthy India.

    This year the campaign spoke about how a clean India leads to a healthy India as health can only flourish when the environment around one is clean. There is nothing more precious to human life than health. Governments and health experts have come up with a suitable health agenda that can be implemented across the country. 

    Therefore the campaign embarked on a new phase to make the country cleaner and healthier by focusing on the well-being of mothers and children. Malnutrition may not be a direct cause of death in children (under 5), but contributes significantly to high mortality and morbidity by reducing immunity, thereby increasing the risk of infections. Health as a subject encompasses Sanitation, Hygiene, Breastfeeding, Fortification, Nutrition, Food Security, Accessibility of treatment, care and support.

    The focus of the discussion was also on the first 1000 days – 270 days in the womb and 730 days from birthday up to 2 years – as this period is a critical window of intervention for cognitive development and growth, preventing irreversible impacts of stunting. If hygiene and nutrition can begin there, a strong foundation can be laid for the future health of society.

    In the course of this introductory launch, held at the JamnabaiNarsee School, Vile Parle (West), a call to action urged the supportive audience to contribute to the Swasth Box. This box will be curated specifically for post-natal care and will be given to mothers across the country, helping them to improve the chances of their babies surviving. Through this initiative the aim will be to give out the Swasth Box to every mother and child who needs one.

     Talking about the initiative, Campaign Ambassador Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, said, “Sharing my personal experience that detection and testing of diseases like diabetes, hepatitis B and tuberculosis is the need of any hour.  We should bring more awareness on such diseases. Many of us either due to the lack of knowledge or just being lazy never want to go to a clinic to get ourselves tested. We all know that diabetes is a silent killer and many of us are unaware that we are suffering from diabetes. We have been working on tuberculosis and hepatitis B but we need a lot of government support in two ventures”.

    Mr Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, AMESA, RB Health commented “Our journey towards Swachhta started five years ago with a great vision that brought Dettol BanegaSwachh India to life. The program’s conscious effort to drive behaviour change across communities has encouraged people to adopt better health practices and we are extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve together. To be able to drive lndia’s health agenda further, it is imperative for us to focus on another significant factor – Swastha. Given health today is more than an absence of illness – being healthy also means being fit and happy. The upcoming year will witness special attention on child nutrition and pregnant mothers that form the backbone of our future generations. This year the program is further complementing Govt’s initiative, Ayushmann Bharat.”

    Also speaking at the event Dr Prannoy Roy, Co-Founder and Executive Co-Chairperson, NDTV said
    “The deadline for India to become open defecation free is 2nd October 2019, which is the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It was Gandhiji’s dream that the quality of life of every Indian should improve with sanitation, cleanliness and hygiene as its foundation. 
    Along with the elimination of open defecation we are also working towards a country where our infants and most vulnerable citizens stay healthy. If we all come together we can achieve this. Please do join us in this campaign to ensure that our country is clean and healthy for our future generations.”
     

  • NDTV profits up in Q1 FY20

    NDTV profits up in Q1 FY20

    BENGALURU: The Prannoy and Radhika Roy-led New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) reported consolidated profit after tax of Rs 16.66 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2019 (Q1 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to a loss of Rs 10.73 crore for the corresponding year ago quarter Q1 2019 (y-o-y). Consolidated PAT for the period under review grew 26.4 per cent from the Rs 13.18 crore reported in the immediate trailing quarter Q4 2019 (q-o-q).

    The company reported 10.3 per cent y-o-y growth and 7.3 per cent q-o-q growth in consolidated operating revenue for Q1 2020 at Rs 109.67 crore. For Q1 2019 and Q4 2019 the company had reported consolidated operating revenues of Rs 99.43 crore and Rs 102.24 crore respectively. Consolidated total income which includes operating revenue as well as other income for Q1 2020 grew 12 per cent y-o-y to Rs 113.87 crore from Rs 101.66 crore, but declined 1.2 per cent q-o-q from Rs 115.28 crore.

    Operating EBITDA for the period under review grew 275.2 per cent (almost quadrupled) per cent y-o-y to Rs 25.29 crore (23.1 per cent of operating revenue) from Rs 6.74 crore (6.8 per cent of operating revenue) and grew 46.5 per cent q-o-q from Rs 17.26 crore (16.9 per cent of operating revenue).

    The company has two segments – television media and related operations (TV); and Retail/Ecommerce segment (Retail). For its TV segment, NDTV reported 11.5 per cent y-o-y revenue growth at Rs 108.96 crore for Q1 2020 from Rs 97.72 crore and 7.8 per cent q-o-q revenue growth from Rs 101.40 crore. TV segment operating result for Q1 2020 was 164.5 per cent y-o-y higher at Rs 27.64 crore from Rs 10.45 crore but was 1.7 per cent lower q-o-q than Rs 28.12 crore. For the Retail segment, NDTV reported revenue of Rs 1.65 crore for Q1 2020 which was 55.3 per cent lower y-o-y than Rs 3.69 crore and was 13.6 per cent lower q-o-q than Rs 1.91 crore. NDTV reported negative operating result (loss) for all the three quarters to the extent of Rs 1.05 crore, 4.71 crore and Rs 0.33 crore for Q1 2020, Q1 2019 and Q4 2019 respectively.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by NDTV

    Total expenses in Q1 2020 reduced 8.4 per cent y-o-y to Rs 93.96 crore from Rs 102.58 crore. Production expenses and cost of services in Q1 2020 increased 28.3 per cent y-o-y to Rs 24.16 crore from Rs 18.83 crore. Finance costs increased 0.3 per cent y-o-y in Q1 2020 to Rs 6.68 crore from Rs 6.66 crore during the corresponding period of the previous year. Employee benefit expense reduced 18.9 per cent y-o-y in Q1 2020 to Rs 31.46 crore from Rs 38.77 crore in Q1 2019. Operating and administrative cost in the quarter under review reduced 19.2 per cent y-o-y to Rs 16.51 crore from Rs 20.44 crore in Q1 2019. Marketing distribution and promotional expenses in Q1 2020 was 16.4 per cent lower at Rs 12.25 crore as compared to Rs 14.68 crore.

  • NDTV promoters get stay on SEBI order banning them from security market

    NDTV promoters get stay on SEBI order banning them from security market

    MUMBAI: An order that was passed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), barring New Delhi Television (NDTV) promoters Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy from holding managerial positions at the news television network, was stayed by the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT).

    The order in the matter of NDTV pertains to a Rs 350-crore loan taken by holding company RRPR Holding from ICICI Bank, which was later liquidated by taking two more loans from Vishvapradhan Commercial (VCPL). The loan taken from VCPL was interest-free for 10 years on the condition that VCPL would have a right of first refusal on 50 per cent of NDTV shares in the event they were sold in the market. The loan agreement had certain call options for transfer of 30 per cent of RRPR shareholding at a price of around Rs 215 per share, according to reports.

    Sebi, in its order dated 14 June, said the loan agreement was nothing but a sham agreement, and violated disclosure norms. SAT heard the arguments that were being stated by the counsels for Sebi and the Roys. According to the tribunal, various allegations made in the Sebi order had to be considered in detail.

    Sat also directed the Roys to not alienate or create any encumbrance on their shareholding in NDTV till further orders.

    “We find the whole world knows about the impugned order except the appellants. To date, they have not been supplied a copy of the impugned order despite the oral direction given by this tribunal yesterday (Monday)… Their liability and their onerous duty does not end the moment they upload the order on their website. The first duty is to supply a copy of the impugned order to the aggrieved party, which, in the instant case, has not been done to date,” said SAT.

    The tribunal pulled up Sebi for not supplying a copy of the order to the Roys.

  • NDTV broadcast operations’ profitable run continues in Q3 2019

    NDTV broadcast operations’ profitable run continues in Q3 2019

    BENGALURU: Indian television media company New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) reported profits for the third consecutive quarter in the current fiscal from its broadcast operations, a record that has happened for the first time in fourteen years claims the company in a press release. Despite a year-on-year (y-o-y) drop in revenues the company has managed to turn fortunes around by paring off of a number of expenses, the most notable being employee cost, which has dropped by more than a third (36.7 percent) in the latest quarter as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter.

    For the quarter ended 31 December 2018 (Q3 2019, quarter or period under review), NDTV has reported consolidated profit after tax of Rs 8.31 crore (8.1 percent of operating income) as compared to a consolidated loss of Rs 21.04 crore for the corresponding year ago quarter (Q3 2018). NDTV’s consolidated total comprehensive income (TCI) for the quarter under review was Rs 8.31 crore as compared to a consolidated total comprehensive loss of Rs 22.42 crore for Q3 2018.  The company’s consolidated operating profit (operating EBITDA) for the period was Rs 17.3 crore (16.9 percent of operating revenue) as compared to a consolidated operating loss (negative EBITDA) of Rs 2.58 crore) in Q3 2018.

    Segment numbers

    NDTV has two segments – television media and related operations (Television) and retail/ecommerce. Television revenue for Q3 2019 declined 8.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 100.54 crore from Rs 109.40 crore. Television segment reported results of Rs 20.35 crore in Q3 2019 as compared to Rs 7.46 crore in Q3 2018.

    Retail/ecommerce segment had operating revenue of Rs 2.20 crore in Q3 2019 as compared to Rs 4.55 crore in Q3 2018. The segment’s loss for the period declined to Rs 2.09 crore from Rs 9.50 crore.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by the company

    NDTV’s consolidated operating revenue for Q3 2019 declined 8.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 102,64 crore as compared to Rs 111.68 crore for the corresponding year ago quarter. Total revenue including other income also dropped by 8.2 percent y-o-y in the period under review to Rs 106.50 crore as compared to Rs 116.05 crore for Q3 2018.

    Total expenses in Q3 2019 reduced 22.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 95.21 crore (92.9 percent of operating revenue) from Rs 128.22 crore (110.3 percent of operating revenue). The company has reduced most of the major expenses, however, amongst the major ones, finance costs increased 36.1 percent y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 6.97 crore (6.8 percent of operating revenue) from Rs 5.12 crore (4.6 percent of operating revenue) crore during the corresponding period of the previous year.

    As mentioned above, employee benefit expense reduced 36.9 percent y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 31.26 crore (30.5 percent of operating revenue) from Rs 49.38 crore (44.2 percent of operating revenue) in Q3 2018. Operating and administrative cost in the quarter under review increased 27.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 18.06 crore (17.6 percent of operating revenue) from Rs 25.06 crore (22.4 percent of operating revenue) in Q3 2018. Marketing distribution and promotional expenses in Q3 2019 was 29.9 percent lower at Rs 11.64 crore (11.4 percent of operating revenue) as compared to Rs 16.6 crore (14.9 percent of operating revenue)

    The NDTV Group

    The company’s financial statements claim that the NDTV Group has made profits for the quarter under review as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter. Further, profit for Q3 2019 has gone up by Rs 7.72 crore as compared to the preceding quarter (Q2 2019). Similarly, losses for the nine-month period ended 31 December 2018 (9M 2019) have gone down to Rs 1.58 crore from Rs 67.82 crore for 9M-2018. NDTV says that based on current business plans and projections, the company/group expects growth in operations and improvement in operational efficiency. To meet long term and short-term working capital requirements, which includes certain overdue payments, the management continues to implement various options like rationalising costs, negotiating extended credit terms and divestment of non-core businesses address these matters and building efficiency in collections.

    The company’s media release says that NDTV Convergence, the company’s digital arm, has, for the first time, earned more than Rs 40 crore in one quarter. In December, the company disclosed that it has signed a five-year advertising deal worth more than Rs 300 crore with native advertising platform Taboola.

  • Nyoooz among 10 Indian digital media cos. to get Google funding

    Nyoooz among 10 Indian digital media cos. to get Google funding

    NEW DELHI: Noida-based digital news startup Nyoooz is among 10 media outlets from India that have been selected for receiving YouTube innovation funding as part of the Google News Initiative (GNI) to help digital newsrooms and publishers strengthen online video capabilities and experiment with new formats for video journalism.

    Apart from Nyoooz, founded and headed by former TV journalist-turned-entrepreneur Alok Verma, the other Indian news organisations are Asianet News Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Bharatiya Digital Party (BhaDiPa), FACTLY, Gaon Connection, India Today Group, Live Data Visualisation Pvt Ltd, NDTV, NYOOOZ, ShepHertz and Video Volunteers.

    These companies form a group of 87 media outlets selected from 23 countries, wire news agency IANS reported.

    According to a blog spot on Tuesday by Timothy Katz, director of news partnerships, YouTube, the announcement “reinforces our commitment to supporting a strong future for news video”.

    As part of the launch of Google News Initiative in March, YouTube committed $25 million funding to support globally the future of news.

    “Hailing from 23 countries around the world, they represent a diverse array of broadcasters, traditional and digital publishers, local media, agencies and creators, but all share a commitment to quality journalism and a spirit of innovation,” Katz added.

    Many of the projects selected for the innovation funding are focused on expanding newsroom video operations and trying out new ways of reporting news through video — from reaching younger audiences online to exploring live and fact-checking formats.

    Other projects look at the sustainability of news organisations, including work on new business models and programmes to support a healthy news ecosystem.

    “Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing insights gained from the projects and giving newsrooms the opportunity to benefit from the learnings,” Katz explained.

    Nyoooz is a digital news media outlet started by a former journalist in the same way as former NDTV anchor Pankaj Pachauri ventured into GoNews, India’s first mobile app-based news channel. Serial entrepreneur and investor Srikant Sastri too had invested in Nyoooz realizing the potential.

  • NDTV, Reliance’s Rafale case to be heard on 22 November

    NDTV, Reliance’s Rafale case to be heard on 22 November

    MUMBAI: NDTV has challenged the jurisdiction of the Ahmedabad court where Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group sued the news broadcaster for Rs 10,000 crores over the Rafale fighter jet deal and the next hearing will be on 22 November 2018. The first hearing was on 26 October. The lawsuit is filed against NDTV's weekly show, Truth vs Hype, which aired on 29 September.

    According to NDTV, “The role of Reliance appeared to have been questioned by none other than Francois Hollande, who was the president of France when the deal was struck. The NDTV show reported all sides of the story including Dassault's denial that it had been under any pressure to select Reliance. The panellists, in a balanced discussion, examined whether issues like Reliance's vast debt and record in defence manufacturing made it a suitable choice for Dassault in India.”

    NDTV Group CEO Suparna Singh tweeted on 26 October, “NDTV challenges jurisdiction of Ahmedabad court where Anil Ambani’s Reliance group sued us for Rs 10,000 crores over our Rafale deal coverage, next hearing on Nov 22.”

    Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group has filed a defamation suit of Rs 7,000 crore against founder and editor of ‘The Citizen’, Seema Mustafa, for its reportage on the defence deal and Rs 5,000 crore against National Herald in September, saying that one of its published articles on the Rafale deal was “libellous and derogatory”.

    Also, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued a show cause notice to NDTV in connection with a case of forex violation it is probing against the media company on 17 October 2018. The notice has been issued for violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore.

  • Anil Ambani’s Reliance sues NDTV for Rs 10,000 cr

    Anil Ambani’s Reliance sues NDTV for Rs 10,000 cr

    MUMBAI: NDTV has been sued for Rs 10,000 crore by Anil Ambani's Reliance Group in an Ahmedabad court for its reportage on the Rafale fighter jet deal. The lawsuit is filed against NDTV's weekly show, Truth vs Hype, which aired on 29 September.

    The hearing has been listed for 26 October. NDTV Group CEO Suparna Singh tweeted on 18 October, “We will fight this brazen attempt to harassment and intimidation.”

    NDTV also mentioned that the top executives of Reliance ignored repeated, multiple and written requests to appear on the show or comment on what is being widely discussed not just in India but in France as well – whether Anil Ambani's Reliance was transparently chosen as the partner for Dassault in a deal that saw India buying 36 fighter jets.

    According to NDTV, “As the Rafale deal has become a larger news story in India, the Reliance group has been on a notice-serving spree; to sue a news company for Rs 10,000 crore in a court in Gujarat on false and frivolous charges, ignoring facts that are widely reported everywhere and not just by NDTV, can only be interpreted as an unsophisticated warning to the media to stop doing its job.”

    Also, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a show cause notice to NDTV in connection with a case of forex violation it is probing against the media company on Wednesday. The notice has been issued for violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore.

    NDTV rejected any allegations of violating FEMA regulations. NDTV said that it is being targeted for its fair and independent journalism and that its persecution is intended to signal to other media that unless they fall in line, they will face similar consequences.

  • NDTV launches India’s first mobile-only portrait live channel

    NDTV launches India’s first mobile-only portrait live channel

    MUMBAI: New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) has launched India’s first mobile-only vertical live channel with the name NDTV HOP Live. India has nearly 432 million internet users and this number is growing at a rate of 4-8 per cent, according to Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunication (TMT) prediction 2018- India edition. With the tremendous digital advances and ongoing smartphone revolution, NDTV HOP Live hopes to break the clutter of digital content and focuses on creating a young and energetic voice of the generation.

    NDTV group CEO Suparna Singh said, "NDTV is valued and recognised for creating and launching terrific new content in the online space. This partnership with Airtel allows us to use to dream potential the possibilities of digital and telecom technology. "We know younger users want great content on the small screen. This is original, made-from-scratch content for them, not replicated or ported from our other platforms. It's very exciting to be rolling this out at this time in India."

    The app has a mix of live shows and fast-paced features, it has ditched the horizontal view and has followed a more personal and focuses approach by adopting the vertical format. According to Counterpoint Research, a market research company, India will have more than a billion smartphone users in the next five years. The numbers of users will exceed 700 million by the year 2022.

    Currently, India is the second largest smartphone industry in the world with more than 400 million active users, after China.

    The app is available on Google Play store and IOS app store. It is also available exclusively on Airtel TV.

    Commenting on the partnership, Bharti Airtel CEO – content and apps, Sameer Batra said, "We are delighted to join hands with NDTV to launch India's first LIVE channel for smartphones. Today's tech-savvy millennial wants to consume digital content on the go and our tie-up with NDTV is aimed at facilitating just that. Our deep understanding of customer's content consumption preferences coupled with NDTV's expertise is sure to create an enjoyable experience for users."

  • No internet shutdown in India confirms Cyber Security official

    No internet shutdown in India confirms Cyber Security official

    MUMBAI: A news report by international television network Russia Today shocked the world as it reported about an internet blackout all over planet earth. The report said that internet users all across the globe may experience widespread network failures following routine maintenance of key domain servers over the next 48 hours.

    However, a chief government cyber security official resolved the country’s confusion by clarifying that India will not face any episode of internet shutdown.

    “All arrangements are in place and there will be no internet shutdown in India as is being circulated in the media,” stated National Cyber Security Coordinator Gulshan Rai to NDTV.

    Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) explained that the report by Russia Today had a “clickbait” headline. The impact on the internet users would be minimal confirmed ICANN.

    Speaking to NDTV, an ICANN spokesperson said, “Unfortunately, that story carries a headline that is a clickbait. There will be minimal impact to users. Note that data analysis suggests that more than 99 per cent of users whose resolvers are validating will be unaffected.”

    The ICANN spokesperson also said, “It has been about 20 hours since the rollover and based on all information we have, everything is going smoothly. There have been only a small handful of reports of issues suspected to be caused by the rollover. In all cases, it appears the impact was minor and the issues were quickly resolved.”