ITV

Tag: Raghav Bahl

  • TV18 strengthens senior management

    TV18 strengthens senior management

    MUMBAI: The Raghav Bahl promoted Television Eighteen has embarked upon a big and aggressive expansion not only into the online media, but also leveraging on the strengths of the ‘CNBC universe’ in order to cash in on the advertising boom.

    Thus, TV18 Media Networks, the ad sales division of the group has realigned ad sales operations to strengthen and capitalize on the TV18 Group’s television, online and mobile media properties.

    According to TV18 Media Networks CEO B Saikumar “The kind of growth our TV18 network has seen the challenge now is to do justice to individual products and revenue streams.”

    The business news channels, the online ventures, the CNBC bestsellers CD division and Focus (the ground events division have, thus, been grouped under an umbrella brand loosely referred to as the ‘CNBC Universe’.

    Streamlining the responsibilities of key professionals like Raj Kamath, Anil Uniyal and Sanjay Dua is one such move in this direction, says Sai Kumar. Reason: create ‘new touch points’ for clients and offer better business solutions, which all would add to the company’s
    revenues.

    For example, Kamath’s role has been expanded from handling sales activities of CNN-IBN to be in charge of ad sales inventories of the TV18 Network (business and general news channels).

    Uniyal, who earlier handled the west and south Indian regions of TV18 business channel, has been given the added responsibility of ‘CNBC Universe’. Dua, who earlier was responsible for north and eastern markets of India for the four channels (CNBC TV18, Awaaz, CNN-IBN & IBN7) will henceforth oversee CNN-IBN and IBN7 and possible local channels in the near future.

    This significant change is indication that the group has done away with regional head portfolios and placing four professionals of the company in charge of coordinating the sales activities of various products with each of them reporting into Kamath who is answerable to Sai Kumar.

    Reinstated what SaiKumar has said, Kamath adds that through this streamlined process, the clients will be offered an integrated marketing communication via the multi-media platform.

    Dua points out that the new structure will ‘help further in creation and optimizing’ of the brand clout of the TV18 Network. Though the Hindi news channel space is cluttered, for Dua IBN7 is bringing in more brands on board that have a national profile instead of mere regional appeal.

    The restructuring drive is also aimed at future plans of the TV18 Group, which includes expanding further into the web space through acquisitions and making forays into markets and language that have not been tapped by the company.

    As Sai Kumar points out, the group is poised to leap into the next level of growth as newer operations near profitability levels.

  • TV18 Q2 net profit at Rs 160 million, up 44% YOY

    TV18 Q2 net profit at Rs 160 million, up 44% YOY

    MUMBAI: The Raghav Bahl promoted Television Eighteen has posted its consolidated net profit at Rs 160.45 million up 44 per cent year on year (YoY) for the second quarter ended 30 September, as against Rs 111.55 million in the year-ago period.

    The company’s revenue has also witnessed a jump of 70 per cent YoY to record at Rs. 530.08 million. Revenue from news operations rose to Rs 476.92 million, from Rs 295.31 million a year ago.

    The TV18’s Internet business rose over 200 per cent YoY, according to an official release. The reveunes from the internet and software operations has gone up from Rs 17 million during the corresponding period a year ago to Rs 53.16 million this quarter. It is also worth noting that the internet business had crossed $1 million during the first quarter of this fiancial year.

    The company’s operating profit surged to Rs 249.04 million, up from Rs 172.68 million. The operating margin dipped to 47 per cent largely on account of the consolidation of CNBC Awaaz revenues and costs in P&L. 

    The consolidated revenues including CNBC-TV18, CNBC-Awaaz, moneycontrol.com and commoditiescontrol.com. The current quarter’s revenue/cost strictly is ‘not’ comparable with the same quarter in the previous year, since revenue/cost of Awaaz are being included from this quarter onwards. The TV18 consolidated revenue includes revenues from CNN-IBN, IBN7 and other Web18 Portals.

    Following the meeting of the board of directors Television Eighteen MD Raghav Bahl said: “This has been an exceptionally good quarter for us. As a Network, we have doubled revenues – while our listed entity has posted a 70 per cent year-on-year growth. We have successfully concluded our scheme of demerger, and set 24 November as the record date – this will unlock an enormous amount of value for our shareholders, who will now enjoy the fruits of ownership in all our businesses, including CNN-IBN, IBN7, Home Shopping Network and Studio18. With several exciting forays in news broadcasting, internet portals, motion pictures and other multi-media platforms on the anvil, our shareholders can continue to look forward to a period of sustained growth.”

  • Bahl sells 2,00,000 TV18 shares to Network 18 Fincap

    Bahl sells 2,00,000 TV18 shares to Network 18 Fincap

    rivate Limited) has acquired 2,00,000 equity shares from the promoter Television Eighteen India Ltd (TV18), Raghav Bahl for Rs 12.84 million.

    This brings the total number of 20,68,225 shares transferred to Network18 Fincap Pvt Ltd from Bahl.

    The transaction was executed by way of block deal on the stock exchange, TV18 said. “Pursuant to the sanction to the scheme of arrangement by the Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Delhi, Network 18 Fincap Pvt Ltd has acquired 2,00,000 shares from Bahl,” a statement TV18 posted on the BSE declared.

  • GBN to hold 15 per cent in TV18’s Web Holdings

    GBN to hold 15 per cent in TV18’s Web Holdings

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bahl-promoted TV18 Group is consolidating its internet businesses into Web 18 Holdings Ltd. As part of this plan, Global Broadcast News (GBN) has transferred its interactive news and current affairs internet portal, ibnlive.com, to Web 18 Software Services Ltd, a subsidiary of Web 18 Holdings Ltd. With this, GBN will hold a 15 per cent stake in Web Holdings.

    According to the consolidation plan, Web 18 Holdings will run the internet businesses either directly or through its subsidiaries. The internet company plans to raise capital from financial or strategic investors.

    Bahl has an aggressive internet plan and today announced the acquisition of three companies – Cricketnext.com, Compareindia.com and urban Eye. Earlier TV18 acquired significant stakes in Yatra.com and Jobstreet.com India.

    Revenues from TV18’s internet business crossed $1 million during the first quarter of this fiscal.

  • Bahl sells 275,000 TV18 shares to Network 18 Fincap

    Bahl sells 275,000 TV18 shares to Network 18 Fincap

    MUMBAI: Network 18 Fincap Pvt Ltd (previously known as SGA Finance and Management Services Private Limited) has acquired 275,000 equity shares from the promoter Television Eighteen India Ltd (TV18), Raghav Bahl for Rs 183.1 million.

    So far, Bhal has transferred 1,275,000 shares to Network 18 Fincap for an approximate amount of Rs 800 million in less than a months’ time.

    For the record, he sold 200,000 shares at Rs 609 on 18 August, followed by 300,000 equity shares at Rs 601 on 14 August, 300,000 shares at Rs 640 on 4 August and 200,000 at Rs 650.25 on 3 August to Network 18 Fincap.

    The transaction was executed by way of block deal on the stock exchange, TV18 said. “Pursuant to the sanction to the scheme of arrangement by the Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Delhi, Network 18 Fincap Pvt Ltd has acquired 2,75,000 shares from Bahl,” a statement TV18 posted on the BSE declared.

  • TV18 to provide VC funding to convergence companies, earmarks Rs 500 million

    TV18 to provide VC funding to convergence companies, earmarks Rs 500 million

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bahl-promoted Television Eighteen is jumping into the convergence arena. The company plans to invest Rs 500 million in this space, identifying small-sized ventures which need funding support.

    TV18 will function more as a venture capitalist, making investments into these companies at an early stage. “We realise there are opportunities in the convergence area of internet, TV, and broadband. Small companies engaged in this field are springing up. We plan to support them and make judicious investments spread over a string of companies. We have taken an enabling resolution to make investments in this space up to a maximum of Rs 500 million,” says a senior company executive.

    TV18 is setting up a Media Venture Capital Trust (MVCT) through which it will make these investments. The MVCT shall be suitably structured as a tax efficient investment vehicle for undertaking these investments and will offer co-investment opportunities to the promoters of the company and other identified reputed investors.

    The investments will be primarily in high growth companies. “TV18 will seek to invest, directly or indirectly minority stakes in these companies through repayment guaranteed / collateralized instruments convertible into equity, with an option to increase up to majority stake at a later date, wherever possible, subject to necessary provisions and approvals,” the company informed the BSE.

    Outside these investments, TV18 will continue to acquire vertical portals. The company, which has internet ventures being consolidated into a wholly owned subsidiary, acquired in April a 50 per cent stake in the Indian arm of Jobstreet.com. Eariler in the year, it had invested in Yatra Online where other investors included Anil Ambani’s Reliance Capital and Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) – Promod Haque’s leading venture capital firm.

  • Bahl sells 2,00,000 TV18 shares to Network 18 Fincap

    Bahl sells 2,00,000 TV18 shares to Network 18 Fincap

    MUMBAI: Network 18 Fincap Pvt Ltd (previously known as SGA Finance and Management Services Private Limited) has acquired 2,00,000 equity shares of Television Eighteen India Ltd (“TV18”) from founder-promoter Raghav Bahl at Rs 650.25 per share.

    The transaction was by way of block deal executed on the stock exchange, TV18 said. “Pursuant to the sanction to the Scheme of Arrangement by the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi, Network 18 Fincap Private has acquired 2,00,000 shares from Bahl,” the company informed the NSE.

  • Bahl floats movie company, Sandeep Bhargava to head

    Bahl floats movie company, Sandeep Bhargava to head

    MUMBAI: Movies is where moolah is! And everyone wants in on it. TV18 promoter Raghav Bahl is the latest to be bitten by the film business bug. Bahl is floating a separate company to fulfill his big screen plans of a movie production boutique.

    The company will be involved in producing and distributing movies. Although, at this juncture, it is not clear if the company may get into distributing international movies. However, the buzz in the broadcasting industry is that the movie production company will not be restricted at merely producing and distributing but is contemplating at looking into the movie acquisition market as well. 

    Former Sahara One Motion Pictures COO Sandeep Bhargava is tipped to spearhead the movie production house. Bahl will have to compete with likes of the well entrenched long time players such as Yash Chopra’s Yash Raj Films, Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts, Sahara One Motion Pictures, Ronnie Screwvala’s UTV Motion Pictures, Ram Gopal Verma’s The Factory and Rakesh Roshan’s FilmKraft.

    In his movie business ambitions, Bahl joins the likes of Subhash Chandra who earlier betted big on tinsel town with Gadar-Ek Prem Katha, live action-animated Bhagmati and Indo-French production One Dollar Curry. 

    TV18, at present manages four news channels; the English business news channel CNBC-TV18, the Hindi consumer news channel Awaaz, the English news channel CNN-IBN and the Hindi news channel Channel7.

     

  • Channel7 executive editor Ajit Sahi quits to join United Nations Millennium Campaign

    Channel7 executive editor Ajit Sahi quits to join United Nations Millennium Campaign

    MUMBAI: Global Broadcast News (GBN) and Jagran TV partnered Channel7’s programming head Ajit Sahi has quit the news organisation to join United Nations Millennium Campaign as communication co-ordinator South Asia.

    The United Nations Millennium Campaign has been initated by the United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan with the aim to stimulate a global movement to press governments to translate pledges made at the UN’s 2000 Millennium Summit into a reality.

    Before GBN bought into Jagran TV-promoted Channel7, Sahi was the executive editor of the news channel. After the restrucuturing, Ashtosh from Aaj Tak had been brought in as the editorial head and Sahi was given other responsibilities.

    Sahi had filled the position of head of Channel 7 after Arup Ghosh quit as news director in 2005.

    A print medium journalist-turned-TV man, Sahi has also worked with Star News and the defunct Buisness India TV where he worked as a senior producer. There, he worked under political analyst and mediaperson Vinod Dua and TV18’s present promoter Raghav Bahl.