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Tag: NDTV

  • NDTV beats market forecast, Q4 revenue up 25%

    NDTV beats market forecast, Q4 revenue up 25%

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster NDTV has beaten market expectations as it posted a 25 per cent jump in its fourth-quarter income over the earlier year and has forecast a turnaround in the full-fiscal ended 31 March 2012.

    Though the news business has posted a fourfold rise in net loss for the quarter ended 31 March 2011, this is due to a one-time expense of Rs 293.8 million incurred on account of NDTV Hindu, a news-cum-infotainment channel for Chennai.

    The company, which runs news channels NDTV 24X7 and NDTV India, has posted a standalone net loss of Rs 231.8 million for the fourth quarter compared to a net loss of Rs 46.3 million in the prior year.   
         
      “We made a provision of Rs 293.8 million for our investments in NDTV Hindu in the quarter. Our losses are showing a rise because of this,” said NDTV Group CEO KVL Narayan Rao. NDTV Hindu, a joint venture between NDTV and the Hindu Group, was launched in 2009.

    Income from operations for the quarter under review stood at Rs 1.08 billion, as against Rs 865 million in the year-ago period.

    The standalone profit from operations (before other income, interest & exceptional items) increased to Rs 97.1 million, from Rs 11.3 million a year ago.

    “We have had a healthy rise in our fourth quarter revenue from news business. This has been led by a change in the market and by a loaded news-events quarter such as the cricket World Cup, Budget and scams. We also believe that having a credible image has helped us in such an eventful quarter,” said Rao.

    Expenses from news operations rose 18 per cent to Rs 1.02 billion, from Rs 863.1 million.

    “We expect our news business to break-even this fiscal. Our costs will be stabilising over the next six months. We also expect to see revenue growth after our alliance with Star India,” said Rao.

    NDTV has handed over the ad sales of its news channels to Star India, effective 1 April, after it parted ways from Raj Nayak‘s Aidem Ventures.

    For the full fiscal, NDTV‘s standalone net loss jumped to Rs 986.3 million, from Rs 205.2 million in the earlier year. Income from operations stayed flat at Rs 3.47 billion (from Rs 3.49 billion).

    Expenses jumped 11.57 in FY‘11 and stood at Rs 3.96 billion as against Rs 3.55 billion in the prior fiscal.

    On a consolidated basis, NDTV posted a net loss of Rs 608 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2011, as against a net profit of Rs 2.13 billion a year ago. However, in the previous year, the company had managed to post profit on the back of Rs 3.37 billion which it received for selling its stake in NDTV Imagine. NDTV also clarified that the consolidated results for the quarter and year ended 31 March 2011 are not comparable with the corresponding previous period.

    Income form operations on a consolidated basis fell 6.52 per cent to Rs 1.32 billion, from Rs 1.41 billion, while total expenses reduced from Rs 2.54 billion to Rs 1.49 billion.

    For the fiscal ended 31 March 2011, NDTV posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 1.74 billion, as against a net profit of Rs 1.18 billion in the earlier year. Income from operations fell to Rs 4.19 billion, from Rs 5.90 billion in the year-ago period, while expenses reduced from Rs 8.94 billion to Rs 5.25 billion.

    “On a consolidated basis, we should be doing better in FY‘12. In the fourth quarter, NDTV Lifestyle has broken even while in the convergence segment we have posted a small profit. We have reasonable growth expectations in the current fiscal,” said Rao.

  • LG to spend Rs 3 bn on marketing flat panel TVs

    LG to spend Rs 3 bn on marketing flat panel TVs

    MUMBAI: LG Electronics plans to spend Rs 3 billion towards marketing its flat panel televisions as it aims to get a 50 per cent share in India‘s nascent 3D TV market.

    The Korean consumer electronics company has positioned Cinema 3D TV as its flagship product in the flat panel TV segment. Launched in India today, Cinema 3D TV has LG‘s proprietary film patterned retarder (FPR) panel, a 3D liquid crystal display (LCD) technology.

    The price of Cinema 3D Smart TV ranges between Rs 94990 and Rs 164990.

    Says LGEIL‘s managing director Soon Kwon, “With this new Cinema 3D Smart TV range, we expect to bolster our FPD sales at a growth rate of more than 100 per cent. We aim to be a market leader in 3D TV market with a share of 50 per cent. To ensure the numbers, LG Electronics India has an aggressive strategy targeting the youth and plans to invest Rs. 3 billion in marketing with Cinema 3D as flagship product communication.”

    The Cinema 3D TV optimises the separation of images for the left and right eye to give viewers 3D pictures with less crosstalk, which means no dizziness and eye fatigue that sometimes occurs with wearing shutter glasses.

    Kwon added, “LG is committed to developing technology and products that exceed today‘s expectations of innovation. Cinema 3D TV is the perfect choice when it comes to watching 3D entertainment for longer periods in greater comfort. We‘re eager to show everyone just how exciting our new 3D TVs are and why we‘re confident this will become the industry standard for 3D TV technology.”

    The Cinema 3D also has features such as a thin film for full brightness, and a wide viewing angle and flexible viewing positions for watching in groups or while sitting or lying down in any spot in front of the screen.

    With a new, advanced 2D to 3D conversion feature, the Cinema 3D TV can convert 2D content into high quality 3D. It also has access to premium content via Hunagama, NDTV, Indiatimes, Carwale and Zapak in India as well as global providers.

    The company will give four sets of 3D glasses in four different models for different segments.
     

  • NDTV gains on Star deal; market expects equity partnership

    NDTV gains on Star deal; market expects equity partnership

    MUMBAI: A day after NDTV announced its five-year ad sales deal with Star India, the scrip of the news broadcaster has gained for the second consecutive day.

    Shares of NDTV rose 5.35 per cent today to Rs 74.80 till the filing of this report (1 pm). The scrip had gained 2.82 per cent on Tuesday, the day NDTV said it had given the mandate to Star to manage the ad sales of its news channels.  
         
      NDTV was the biggest gainer among the news broadcasters. Incidentally, barring IBN18, all the listed players in the news broadcasting business are seeing an upsurge.

    Shares of Zee News Ltd rose 5.07 per cent to Rs 11.60 till the filing of this report. TV Today also saw a 2.35 per cent surge with the scrip trading at Rs 60.85.

    BAG Films and Media gained 2.98 per cent to Rs 7.25.

    TV18 gained 0.60 per cent and was trading at Rs 75.75, while IBN18 lost 0.92 per cent (Rs 91.65).

    “NDTV has seen a rally because of the ad sales deal. But the scrip will sustain momentum only if an equity deal is announced between NDTV and Star. The market is expecting it as they feel that the deal is a conflict of interest with MCCS, the company which runs Star News, Star Anand and Star Majha where Star has a 26 per cent stake,” says a media analyst.
     

  • NDTV hands over ad sales duties to Star

    NDTV hands over ad sales duties to Star

    MUMBAI: In a cluttered environment where news channels are struggling to up advertising rates, NDTV has assigned Star India to exclusively handle the airtime sales of all its news channels – NDTV 24×7, NDTV India and NDTV Profit.

    The five-year deal will come into effect from 1 April, bringing together two broadcasting companies that would fight it out in a marketplace that is unfriendly to ad rate hikes.

    For Rupert Murdoch’s Star India, the commercial alliance will mean that it has news in its bouquet mix. The network had earlier handled the ad sales of MCCS, the news broadcasting company where it owns 26 per cent stake with ABP Group as the senior partner, but that got separated and is now managed independently.

    Said Star India CEO Uday Shankar, “The combination of the NDTV news brand and Star’s leadership should be able to unlock significant value for NDTV. The presence of NDTV news shall strengthen Star’s sales bouquet and enable Star to offer a comprehensive option to advertisers and agencies.”

    NDTV, which has seen a slowdown in its advertising revenue from news operations, will continue its ad sales arrangement with Raj Nayak‘s Aidem Ventures for lifestyle channel NDTV Good Times, while pulling out all its news outfits from the media consulting, marketing and advertising sales company.

    NDTV will focus on content and business development, areas where it is more comfortable with. For consolidating its revenues, it will adopt the outsourcing model. While Star will handle its ad sales, NDTV will depend on Star Den, a 50:50 joint venture between Star India and Den, for its subscription income.

    Prannoy Roy has worked with Murdoch earlier before they split in 2003. After the divorce, Roy went on to launch his news channels and got the company listed in 2004.

    Said NDTV chairman Roy, “Star, India‘s leading and most successful television network, has been a trusted partner in the past and NDTV looks forward to this new initiative which we are certain will be of mutual benefit. In many ways, it‘s a perfect fit.”  
         
      Will the alliance jack up ad rates for the news business? “The deal does not necessarily mean that ad rates will go up for NDTV. News is a cluttered market and all will depend on the demand and supply equation,” said Madison Media group CEO Punitha Arumugam.

    Star India, however, believes that the getting together of the two broadcasting companies will help create value. Said Star India EVP – business development Nitin Kukreja, “There is value to be unlocked with proper packaging. We can command a premium for the news genre.”

    Selling airtime for NDTV will help strengthen Star‘s offering for male targeted advertisers. “We have a bouquet of English channels including Star World, Star Movies and National Geographic. We, however, haven‘t yet decided which of our channels we are going to package with the NDTV news channels and offer to advertisers,” Kukreja added.

    Some senior executives, however, believe that the outsourcing model is not a good strategy. “The reality in today‘s world is that in the news business, there is a lot of healthy interaction between business and content. There is overlap in events and sponsorship. So it is better to have the ad sales functions handled internally,” the CEO of a news broadcasting company said on condition of anonymity.

    Some experts also feel that it won‘t be possible to club general entertainment channels with news channels. “The advertisers are different. The target segments are also different,” a media analyst said.

    Will Star‘s relationship with ABP be strained? Will MCCS, which owns and operates Star News (Hindi), Star Majha (Marathi) and Star Anand (Bengali), be impacted?

    When contacted, MCCS CEO Ashok Venkatramani did not want to comment on the new deal between Star and NDTV.

  • NDTV, Nirmal Lifestyle launch Fit India movement

    NDTV, Nirmal Lifestyle launch Fit India movement

    MUMBAI: NDTV and Nirmal Lifestyle have launched the “Fit India Movement”, a deal brokered by Total Sports Asia. This is a long-term campaign to change the way India thinks about fitness and inspire Indians to become a healthier nation, the company said.

    The mission of the campaign is ‘Marks for Sports‘, which aims to develop fitter, active and healthier lifestyles for the youth of today. The core belief of this campaign lies within the premise that if schools and more importantly, different boards of education include Sports as a part of the main curriculum, then parents, as well as children, will devote more time to sports, setting them on the path of a lifetime of fitness.  
         
      To launch the initiative, development and campaign ambassador Ranbir Kapoor joined NDTV chairman Prannoy Roy and Nirmal Lifestyle chairman and MD Dharmesh Jain in New Delhi. Also present at the launch were former cricketer MAK Pataudi, Olympic boxer Vijender Singh, India‘s Football Captain Baichung Bhutia, Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Gagan Narang and seven times World Billiards and Snooker Champion Pankaj Advani.

    The year-long ‘Marks for Sports‘ campaign aims to reach out to policy and decision makers across the country with a series of activities. These will include special televised debates and discussion programmes with the campaign ambassador, televised interactive ground activities with sportspersons and children and a signature drive asking for policy changes with pledges for donations and equipment. Also included will be a school connect program, to motivate and encourage students and their parent to accept Sports as part of the main curriculum.

    TSA Group CEO Marcus Luer said, ” Marks for Sports has the potential to kick off a sports revolution in India as it‘s targeted at the three most important constituents who decide a young Indian athlete‘s development: relevant Indian legislative authorities , school authorities and most importantly parents.”

  • NDTV, Raj Nayak’s Aidem Ventures to split

    NDTV, Raj Nayak’s Aidem Ventures to split

    MUMBAI: NDTV Ltd. has decided not to renew its ad sales contract with Raj Nayak-promoted Aidem Ventures from 1 April, according to sources familiar with the development.

    NDTV had outsourced its ad sales to Aidem Ventures for one year, after Nayak quit as CEO of NDTV Media to float his own company. NDTV had bought back Nayak and his team‘s 26 per cent stake in NDTV Media, a company that was handling the ad sales of the broadcasting company.

    The split was in course and an official announcement is expected to be made soon. NDTV had earlier revised the estimates of the fee payable to Aidem in the third quarter of the fiscal, in keeping with the terms of the arrangements and accordingly reversed the provision amounting to Rs 50 million recognised in the earlier quarters.

    NDTV has started talking with at least two media outfits including Star India to outsource its ad sales, sources said. The company is also considering managing its own ad sales by forming an internal team.

    “All the options are open but the most likely course would be to outsource ad sales. Star seems the favourite choice at this stage but anything can happen. Nothing is signed yet,” a source said.

    Nayak could not be reached for his comments.

    When contacted, Star India CEO Uday Shankar did not want to comment on the issue.

     

  • NDTV’s news biz posts net profit in Q3

    NDTV’s news biz posts net profit in Q3

    MUMBAI: Dr Prannoy Roy-promoted NDTV Ltd’s television news channel business has posted a net profit of Rs 29.8 million for the quarter ended 31 December. This is against a standalone net loss of Rs 16.5 million the company had posted during the year-ago period.

    The turnaoround into net profit is, however, without taking into account the merger of different subsidiaries into the company effective 1 April.

    With the merged subsidiaries, the company has suffered a net loss of Rs 170.8 million.

    NDTV said that in accordance with the scheme, it has given effect to the relevant accounting entries and the financial reorganisation and adjusted the debit balance of profit and loss account amounting to Rs 761.7 million against specified reserves.

    “Accordingly, the standalone results for the quarter include the results of operations of the transferor companies and hence are not comparable with the corresponding previous period,” the company said.  
         
      NDTV, which operates news channels NDTV 24X7 (English), NDTV India (Hindi) and NDTV Profit (English business), saw a marginal increase in the income from operations (6.61 per cent) to Rs 964.8 million as against Rs 905 million a year ago.

    Expenses stayed flat at 902.7 million (from Rs 903.7 million year ago).

    The company posted a profit from operations (before other income, interest & exceptional items) of Rs 111.9 million, as against profit of Rs 28.1 million during the year ago period.

    On a consolidated basis, NDTV has posted a net loss of Rs 148.4 million, as against a profit of Rs 741.1 million in the year-ago period.

    However, it clarified that the consolidated results for the quarter ended 31 December 2009 include the results of operations of Turner General Entertainment Networks India (formerly NDTV Imagine) and its subsidiaries in which NDTV had diluted its holding to a minority stake on 23 February 2010. The consolidated result for the quarter, thus, is not comparable with the corresponding previous period.

    Operating loss of the company narrowed to Rs 72.8 million from Rs 525.7 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. (NDTV had gained Rs 1.28 billion on the buyback amount which got reflected in the other income).

    Income from operations stood at Rs 1.14 billion, down from Rs 1.67 billion a year ago. Expenses during the quarter were Rs 1.22 billion, down from Rs 2.22 billion.

  • NDTV eyes investor in MetroNation Chennai

    NDTV eyes investor in MetroNation Chennai

    MUMBAI: NDTV Ltd. is planning to induct strategic investors in its loss-making joint venture company, MetroNation Chennai Television Limited, that operates a news cum infotainment channel.

    MetroNation Chennai Television also plans to increase the Tamil content on the channel.

    “We are considering getting strategic investment in MetroNation Chennai Television. We are looking at raising equity capital. We are also going to increase the Tamil content in the channel,” said NDTV Group chief executive officer KVL Narayan Rao.

    MetroNation Chennai, where NDTV holds 51 per cent and Kasturi and Sons (Hindu Group) the balance 49 per cent, has incurred accumulated losses amounting to Rs 275.1 million.  
         
    The company has investment, loans and receivable aggregating Rs. 208.7 million (corresponding previous period Rs. 112.5 million and previous year Rs 1,47 million).

    Pending finalisation of the strategic options including getting in investors, NDTV has carried the investment, loans and receivable at book values since the management expects to be able to realise these assets in full.

    Rao, however, refused to reveal what capital the JV company was looking to raise and who likely would be the potential investor.

    MetroNation Chennai was launched in 2009.
     

  • IMTMA ups M&M spends by 10% for IMTEX 2011

    IMTMA ups M&M spends by 10% for IMTEX 2011

    BANGALORE: The Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association (IMTMA) will be spending around Rs.27.5 million towards media and marketing spends for the 15th edition of its flagship event, IMTEX 2011.

    Last year IMTMA spent around Rs.25 million, said sources at IMTMA.

    IMTEX is an international exhibition on metal-cutting machine tools and manufacturing solutions.

    The spends include radio jingles, television ads on TV18 group of channels, NDTV and Suvarana 24×4, print ads, email pushes, online spends and SMS to people in its database asking them to visit IMTEX 2011.

    IMTMA has created a 20 second TVC based on clippings of past exhibitions with the help of a local Bangalore producer. Media buying is through Madison Media. The association expects around 100,000 visitors to the exhibition, up by 20,000 from the last edition’s 80,000 visitors at the same venue.

    IMTEX 2011 will be held between January 20 and January 26 at IMTMA’s own state-of-the-art exhibition facility – Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumkur Road, Bangalore.

    The 13th edition of IMTMA’s exhibition TOOLTECH – 2011 will also be held concurrently at the same venue. Spread across 40,000 square metres, the exhibition will feature over 800 exhibitors and 750 machines with a total value of Rs 14 billion. Exhibitors from across 23 countries including India will be participating in the exhibition this year.

     

  • NDTV raises Rs 48.6 mn from Save Our Tigers Telethon

    NDTV raises Rs 48.6 mn from Save Our Tigers Telethon

    MUMBAI: 35 Rapid Rescue Teams (RRTs) to be deployed across Tiger Reserves of the country in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Trust with the funds raised.

    MUMBAI: NDTV has managed to raise Rs 48.6 million for its “Save Our Tiger” campaign by telecasting a 12-hour nonstop program -The Telethon on its network channels.

    The Telethon, in association with Aircel, saw wildlife champions from across the country coming forward to extend a hand in saving the national animal the Indian Tiger.

    Campaign ambassador Amitabh Bachchan along with NDTV chairman Dr Prannoy Roy and Vikram Chandra highlighted the key issues of tiger conservation and keenly monitored events across the country from the central hub at Pench, Tiger Reserve from 11 am to 11 pm on 12 December.

    NDTV said that people and organisation from across the nation come forward to contribute Rs 24.3 million for the cause, while investment banker, Hemendre Kothari matches the contribution with a donation of Rs 24.3 million.

    Apart from Kothari, some of the donors are Bhaichung Bhutia, Abhishek Bachchan, Nitin Gadkari, Diya Mirza, Manish Malhotra, Soli Sorabjee, Priya Dutt, industry body CII, and coporates such as Westside.

    Campaign ambassador Bachchan donated Rs 2.8 million and also auctioned his Cartier watch and two pairs of designer glasses which raised another Rs 845,000 million.

    According to Wildlife Conservation Trust director Dr Anish Andheria, the funds raised in this telethon are sufficient to create and deploy 35 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) and cover all the Tiger Reserves across the country.

    Roy said, “NDTV is overwhelmed by the nationwide response. We are most pleased that the Tigerthon achieved three aims: to raise awareness and initiate action on the ground, to get Chief Ministers to pledge support to save the tiger and, most exciting, the full-day Tiger Conclave by CII, all political parties and tiger experts which hopefully will lead to Project Tiger 2.”

    Aircel COO Gurdeep Singh added, “We would like to thank each and everyone who came forward and supported the cause. The level of participation and support for our national animal, the Tiger is over whelming. Aircel‘s support to the cause is long term and we will continue to build on our efforts to save our tigers.”