Tag: Patna

  • Sangram Committee to support Patna LMOs

    Sangram Committee to support Patna LMOs

    KOLKATA: Kolkata-based Cable Operators Sangram Committee – has extended its helping hand to last mile owners (LMOs) in Patna. The city boasts of approximately 2.5 – 3 lakh digitised cable TV homes in the DAS II area. However, the LMOs are a ‘unhappy lot’ as they neither get proper bills and receipts nor full payment from customers.

     

    Going forward Sangram Committee, which currently is active in Kolkata, aims to spread its operation in the eastern region including Assam, Tripura and Jharkhand and plans to address the grievances of all the LMOs in the eastern region to the authorities jointly.

     

    More than 450 LMOs in Patna met with the Sangram Committee affiliated LMOs and discussed the ground problems faced by the LMOs while operating in their respective zones.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Cable Operators Sangram Committee general secretary Apurba Bhattacharya said, “We will place our demand to all the MSOs operating in Patna and request them to operate as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) guidelines. LMOs are neither getting the bills nor the receipts.”

     

    It should be noted that Patna has around eight lakh cable TV homes, of which 2.5-3 lakh that fall under DAS II area are all digitised. While another five lakh homes are expected to be digitised in the later phases.

     

    Multi-system operators like Siti Cable, GTPL, Patna-based Darsh and DEN Networks mostly operate here.

     

    “Since customers are not getting the bills, they are not ready to do full payment. Apart from this we are also not getting any receipt from the MSO,” said Kumar Nilesh, a LMO affiliated to GTPL.

     

    While Rakesh Kumar Singh, a LMO affiliated to Siti Cable said, “Most cable operators have not yet signed revenue-sharing agreements with their MSOs.”

     

    Another LMO when asked about the popular package, said that people mostly go for packages below Rs 300 here.

     

    Explaining further, an LMO said that if a customer has chosen a package of Rs 240, he will have to pay Rs 240+Rs 15 (amusement tax) plus an additional 12.36 per cent service tax. “But some customers are just paying Rs 240, so do we pay their service tax and amusement tax?” he questioned.

     

    “Customers were expecting to get bills and now when they don’t get their bills, they are upset. Some are not willing to pay the monthly rental also,” he further added.

     

    On other hand, MSOs have a different picture to present.

     

    Darsh Digital Network director Sushil Kumar said that the MSOs can see that even after collecting payment from the consumers, LMOs are not paying the respective MSOs. “If there is a backlog of three to four months in payment, how can we survive?” Kumar avers.

     

    “Television has become an inseparable part of our lives. So not only MSOs and LMOs but consumers too have to think in a mature way and all other stakeholders should act as per the norms, for the smooth rollout of DAS,” concluded an expert.

  • Zee Business Unveils The most promising Budget Survey

    Zee Business Unveils The most promising Budget Survey

    NEW DELHI: Zee Business (part of India’s largest News Network, Zee Media Corporation Limited) India’s No. 1 Hindi business news channel has taken a lead further by digging deeper relating to news for its viewers spread in India as well as abroad. The business news channel has conducted a nation wide survey in nine cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Patna, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Indore and Lucknow) comprising of industry experts as well as common man to capture mood of masses relating to the forthcoming Union Budget.

     

    A quantitative survey, using a structured questionnaire was administered to CXOs from top 500 companies and SMEs to sense and understand the kind of Budget do industry captains and top honchos expect.

     

    The telephonic survey was conducted with the best minds from India Inc., Indian and global markets, industry experts, economists, intelligentsia as well as chief wage earners (CWEs), housewives/ working women and students. Zee Business unravels the initial expectations of India’s economic future and its subsequent impact based on industry reactions, citizen demands, market implications and expert opinions.

     

    As the world is watching, expectations are running high for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the Indian economy back on track. It will be a litmus test for the new dispensation as they had promised to millions of Indians before getting the mandate of serving the largest democratic country of the world. Will Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley stand tall with these expectations revealed? The world is watching!

     

    To know more, watch the ‘Big Story’ on 4th July, Friday where nation’s budget expectations will be unearthed by the Nation’s No.1 Hindi Business News Channel Zee Business.

  • DB Corp and its radio business report good performance in Q2-2014, H1-2014

    DB Corp and its radio business report good performance in Q2-2014, H1-2014

    BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited (DBCL), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported a good result for Q2-2014 and (Half Yearly) HY1-2014. Its total revenue has shown a growth of approximately 16 per cent y-o-y to Rs 441.8 crore in Q2-2014 against Rs 382.3 crore of Q2-2013. However, its income from operations in Q2-2014 at Rs 434.07 crore was 2.7 per cent lower that the Rs 446.15 crore in the preceding quarter Q1-2014.  

     

    Consolidated total revenue for HY1-2014 increased by 17 per cent to Rs 895.8 crore from Rs 763.8 crore in HY1-2013; Consolidated advertising revenue grew by 19 per cent in HY1-2014 to Rs 674.4 crore as against Rs 568.8 crore in HY1-2013.

     

    DBCL achieved consolidated EBIDTA margin of 28 per cent in HY1-2014 at Rs 248.9 crore registering a y-o-y growth of 44 per cent. Consolidated PAT margin at 15 per cent at Rs 13.63 crore registered a growth of 48 per cent on y-o-y basis.

     

    DB Corp’s radio business comprises of the brand “My FM” Radio station in seven states and 17 cities. Like last quarter (Q1-2104), it’s radio business advertising revenue which contributed to less than four per cent to the overall revenue, grew by 14 per cent to Rs 17.5 crore in Q2-2014, against Rs 15.4 crore in Q2 -2013. Last quarter (Q1-2014), its radio business reported advertising revenue of Rs17.3 crore. DB Corp’s radio business in Q2-2014 achieved PAT of Rs 1.9 crore, lower by 21 per cent than the PAT reported for the immediate last quarter’s (Q1-2014) Rs 2.4 crore. Its radio business EBIDTA stands at Rs 5.6 crore in Q2-2014.

     

     Let us take a look the other Q2-2014 results of DB Corp

     

    Overall, revenue from advertising reported a growth of about 17 per cent in Q2-2014 to Rs 329.7 from Rs 282.6 crore in Q2-2013. Its advertising revenue for Q2-2014 was about 4.4 per cent lower than the Rs 344.7 crore reported in the preceding quarter Q1-2014.

     

    DBCL’s total expense for Q2-2014 at Rs 340.3 crore was 13.2 per cent more than the Rs 300.6 crore for Q2-2013 and 4.4 per cent higher than Rs 325.91 crore for Q1-2014. Increase in raw material cost and other expense were the major reasons for the increase in DBCL’s expense. Higher raw material consumption cost at Rs 150.36 crore in Q2-2014 was higher by 13.4 per cent as compared to Rs 132.54 crore in Q2-2013 and 5.1 per cent higher than Rs 143.06 crore in Q1-2014. Other expense at Rs 102.5 crore 17.8 per cent higher than the Rs 87 crore for Q2-2013 and was five per cent higher than Rs 97.7 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    DBCL reported EBIDTA for Q2-2014 at Rs 111.6 crore (margin at 25 per cent), against Rs 90.1 crore, in Q2 -2013, registering a growth of 24 per cent y-o-y. The company says that this factors one time preoperative expenses of Rs 2 crore on the launch of Akola, Amravati in Maharashtra and Patna in Bihar and impact of forex (foreign exchange) loss of Rs 4.763 crore. Excluding the forex gain/ loss, EBIDTA has grown 36 per cent y-o-y from Rs 85.3 crore to Rs 116.3 crore. DBCL’s EBIDTA margins stand at 26 per cent on a stand-alone basis at Rs 113.4 crore.

     

    The company reported PAT for Q2-2014 at Rs 60.2 crore against Rs 48.6 crore in Q2-2013, showing growth of 24 per cent y-o-y. The same factors one-time pre-operative expenses of Rs 2 crore for Akola-Amravati and Patna launch as well as forex loss of Rs 5.712 crore. Excluding forex gain/loss, PAT has grown 50 per cent y-o-y from Rs 43.9 crore to Rs 65.9 crore.

     

    Its Print business reported PAT at Rs 60.2 crore (14.3 per cent PAT margin), after considering forex loss of Rs 5.79 crore.

     

    DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal said: “We maintain our brand equity and leadership position in all our major markets and have made noteworthy progress in our performance in emerging editions particularly in Maharashtra where we have been vigorously driving in-market execution. We continue to actively explore expansion opportunities, as this quarter we launched our 7th edition of Divya Marathi from Amravati – a region with significant potential – high literacy rate and a rapidly developing workforce. We are excited and look forward to another challenging launch of Dainik Bhaskar’s Patna edition, which is on the anvil for this fiscal. Our digital platforms have been reporting consistent growth driven by strong viewer engagement strategies.”

     

    “In the context of a variable economic operating environment, it has been our compelling focus on operational fundamentals that have guided us to consistently report healthy performance. We are of the view that the GDP growth seems to have bottomed out and in light of various steps taken to sharpen our execution strengths, DBCL continues to be well placed to capitalise on the consumption potential of the Tier 2 and 3 cities as we look towards an improved domestic economic environment,” he added.

  • Canon India to expand Office Imaging Solutions

    Canon India to expand Office Imaging Solutions

    BENGALURU: Canon India Office Imaging Solutions division (OIS) announced plans for deeper penetration in C, D and E towns and expansion of service location from 546 to 700+ locations currently to support developments in smaller cities.

     

    The division is aggressively tapping the SME market specially the manufacturing units in C, D and E class where the print volume is around one-two lakh a month. Canon is working with its channel partners in these cities who will be focusing on SMEs and PSU segments. Canon plans to enable the SME community by introducing cost effective workflow solutions and Managed Document Services offering.

     

    With this SMEs will get access to enterprise class technology which will help them streamline their printing infrastructure, save cost and be eco-friendly. The division is also targeting cities like Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Cochin, Patna and Bhubaneswar. The division is targeting revenues of Rs 25 crore from its Managed Document Services during the next fiscal.

     

    Canon’s OIS division uses select print publications that make their way to a CIO’s table and online digital for focused mass media communications. To that extent, it spends around Rs 1 to 2 crore per quarter revealed a company source. Dentsu and Percept manage creative and media buying duties for Canon India.

  • HomeShop18 clocked sales of Rs. 15 Crores in a single day on 15th August

    HomeShop18 clocked sales of Rs. 15 Crores in a single day on 15th August

    NEW DELHI: HomeShop18, India’s leading virtual shopping brand touches another milestone. On this Independence Day, HomeShop18 recorded bumper sale of INR 15 crore through its three retail platforms of TV, Web and Mobile. The TV channel contributed most to this number followed by the web and mobile platforms.

     

    The categories that saw maximum sales were Apparel, Electronics, Mobile Phones and Books. Home & Kitchen and Health & Beauty were also strong contributors indicating increasing participation of women in virtual shopping. HomeShop18 observed highest buys from Delhi & NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Guwahati, Jammu, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Patna and Pune.

     

    Sundeep Malhotra, Founder & CEO, HomeShop18 commented, “Shoppers today are getting more confident about product quality, greater value & service delivery which is encouraging them to shop comfortably across TV, Web and Mobile platforms. We at HomeShop18 are witnessing an expansion in our customers’ product basket as newer product categories are getting traction too. This is a positive trend and we are strongly positioned to serve this high-growth market.”

     

    HomeShop18 is setting a benchmark in virtual shopping and making it a smarter, easier, and hassle free experience. With great products and brands in its product portfolio, HomeShop18 offers multiple payment options and free home delivery on all products. HomeShop18’s dedicated team delivers products to every corner of the country covering over 3000 locations. HomeShop18 stands for superlative quality, exceptional value and unmatched convenience.

  • Cinépolis eyes expansion in India

    Cinépolis eyes expansion in India

    NEW DELHI: Cinépolis, which is said to be in talks for acquiring Cinemax, has served six million patrons in India within less than three years of operations.

    The world‘s fourth largest cinema chain and India‘s first international exhibitor is driven by progressive international technology such as 3D screens with Real-D technology, Dolby 7.1 surround sound and 100 per cent digital 2k screens across its outlets in India.

    Cinépolis India MD and country head Milan Saini said, “Our phenomenal growth has inspired us to bring further entertainment options to the country like launching India‘s first Cinépolis VIP, our pioneering luxury cinema brand at Ludhiana. This underscores the acceptance and appreciation of International cinema experience and Cinépolis as a brand.”

    Cinépolis has over one million member strong loyalty programme called ‘Club Cinépolis‘.

    Cinépolis India exhibition head Ashish Shukla said, “Our constant endeavour is to reach the next level and offer our cinegoers the best end to end cinema experience. We have connected with our patrons through their preferred communications channel, facebook even before we launch in the city and include their feedback and expectations in our plan. This has worked magnificently for our cinemas.”

    At present, Cinépolis operates in eight Indian cities namely Amritsar, Patna, Thane, Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhopal, Ludhiana and Bangalore. The company plans to open 500 screens in the country by 2016.

  • Star News launches hunt for TV news anchor

    Star News launches hunt for TV news anchor

    MUMBAI: Hindi news channel Star News has launched the first of its kind reality show on news television called Star Anchor Hunt.

    The channel will search for news talent in the country and the two winners – one male and one female – will get to be news anchors of Star News.

    Contestants will have to register on the website StarAnchorHunt.com and selected candidates will be invited for audition rounds which will take place across 10 cities: Indore, Nagpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

    The contestants will be judged by Star News editor national affairs Deepak Chaurasia, actress Tisca Chopra and Chetan Bhagat – author of Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of life (2008) and 2 States-the story of my marriage (2009).

  • Sadhna to launch regional news channel in Bihar & Jharkhand on 14 Dec

    Sadhna to launch regional news channel in Bihar & Jharkhand on 14 Dec

    MUMBAI: Sadhna Group is launching a regional channel Sadhna News in Bihar/Jharkhand on 14 December. The group’s regional news channel is already available in Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh.

    “We have obtained license and are completing the final works to launch the channel on 14 December,” says an official.

    Sadhna News will have six bureaus spread across Ranchi, Patna, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Gaya. Prabhat Dabbral is the executive director of the channel.

    The group will be launching another regional channel in UP/Uttarakhand in the next three months.

    Sadhna Group MD Rakesh Gupta said, “On the same lines of Sadhna News Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, we have conceptualized various special programmes for Bihar/ Jharkhand news channel.”

    The channel will be uplinked on Thaicom satellite through VSNL Teleport. Studios with ultra modern facilities are under construction in cities such as Patna and Ranchi, the official said.