ITV

Tag: Raghav Bahl

  • Madhavan Nair & team named CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 08

    Madhavan Nair & team named CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 08

    NEW DELHI: The third edition of CNN-IBN Indian of the Year award held in the capital witnessed G Madhavan Nair and team Chandrayaan being declared as the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2008.

    G Madhavan Nair and Team Chandrayaan also bagged the award in the category of Public service sector.

    Says Network 18 managing director Raghav Bahl, ” The year 2008 was an extraordinary year in terms of global economic crisis. The year taught everybody from politicians to policy makers to businessmen lessons on how to manage crisis. For businessmen 2008 was a year to stop running on bloated balance sheets and begin fresh management of accounts while for policy makers it was time to check the policies again in order to save the Indian economy from further effects of economic crisis as the time when the crisis had begun the country was relatively safe as compared to other economies.”

    Meanwhile veteran Hindi cinema actor Dilip Kumar was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award and New Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit was conferred with Special Achievement award.

    Assistant sub inspector late Tukaram Omble and the Mumbai Police who fought bravely at the time terror attack on 26 November, 2008 were bestowed with the award of Extraordinary Service to the Nation.

    “CNN-IBN Indian of the Year award recognises the outstanding contributions of Indians in various categories. This initiative is an attempt to recognise the contribution of individuals who stood first amongst equals,” adds IBN18 Network editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai.

    Earlier on 30 January, CNN-IBN had announced the category-wise winners which included Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Politics, while Olympic Gold medalist-Abhinav Bindra was declared the winner in Sports category. The category of Business saw HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri as the winner and Aamir Khan was announced as the winner in the Entertainment sector.

    Finally, the Global Indian award went to AR Rahman.

    The winners were chosen through a four-tier election process, where the IBN 18 editorial board drew the list of nominees; followed by voting of the electoral college and the citizens of India and the jury having ratified it. The process was audited by Ernst & Young.

  • TV18, Jagran put regional biz newspaper project on hold

    TV18, Jagran put regional biz newspaper project on hold

    MUMBAI: The economic slowdown could well be hitting media companies that have chalked out massive expansion plans. The regional language business newspaper that was to roll out from the 50:50 joint venture between broadcaster TV18 and Jagran Prakashan Ltd. has been put on hold.

    TV18 said on Monday its joint venture, Jagran18 publications Ltd, is deferring the launch of the newspaper.

    In a separate statement, Jagran Prakashan said the project was deferred due to the “prevailing market conditions.”

    Jagran18 board reviewed the project and decided it to be “prudent to defer it.”

    Last year, the JV had announced plans of launching a Hindi business daily in 2008 along with other Indian language dailies focused on financial and economic news.

    Network18 MD Raghav Bahl had mentioned earlier that “business audiences have grown immensely in the Hindi heartland and regional markets” and they will be “combining TV18’s strengths in business content with Jagran’s understanding of print markets.”

  • TV18 Q4 net up 25%, plans English biz newspaper launch within a year

    TV18 Q4 net up 25%, plans English biz newspaper launch within a year

    MUMBAI:TV18 has posted a net profit of Rs 189.52 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2008, up 25.51 per cent as against Rs 150.99 million from the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal.

    During the period, total revenue has seen a growth to Rs 1.11 billion, from Rs 680.8 million.

    The company’s consolidated revenue has surged 64 per cent, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, to stand at Rs 1.32 billion.

    TV18 MD Raghav Bahl said, “We are extremely happy to declare this quarter’s financial performance. Our news channels continue to lead the business news genre. The revenues from all properties are showing solid growth. Acquisition of Infomedia is underway and should soon be completed. We have forged a JV with Jagran Prakashan to launch a Hindi business newspaper and are also preparing to enter the English business newspaper market”.

    TV18 is planning to launch a Hindi and English business newspaper within 12 months. The English business daily is likely to have Financial Times (which is splitting relationship with Business Standard) as a partner.

    In the news operation segment, total revenue stood at Rs 1.09 billion for the quarter ended 31 March 2008, up 53 per cent year-on-year. Net profit of news operations stood at Rs 300.98 million (after ESOP charge out).

    During the period, Web18’s total revenue stood at Rs 180.18 million, up 112 per cent YoY. Web18 suffered a loss of Rs 146.55 million for the quarter as against a loss of Rs 32.27 million in the last fiscal.

    For Web18, which houses the internet properties, TV18 is planning to list overseas in the calendar year.

    As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Web18 is planning to list in the US to raise funds for expansion. Web18 is looking at diluting 10-15 per cent through an ADR (American Depository Receipt) issue. 

    Total revenue of Newswire18 stood at Rs 44.59 million for the last quarter of FY08, up 26 per cent quarter on quarter basis. Newswire18’s loss was Rs 31.69 million during the period.

    For the full year, TV18 has posted a net profit of Rs 416.84 million, as against Rs 175.11 million a year ago. Total Revenue has climbed from Rs 2.01 billion for the year ended March 31 2007 to Rs 3.65.billion for the year ended 31 March 2008.

    Shares of TV18 rose 2.78 per cent to close Monday at Rs 344.35 on the BSE.

  • TV18 Q3 net profit up 42 % at Rs 208 million

    TV18 Q3 net profit up 42 % at Rs 208 million

    MUMBAI: Television 18 India Ltd declared its third quarter results for the period ended 31 december 2007. Net profit for the quarter (after deferred tax) was Rs 208.22 million, up 42.3 per cent from the Rs 146.31 million achieved in the corresponding quarter a year ago.

    TV18’s Total Q3 Revenues surge to Rs 1.12 bn; UP 74 per cnt YoY and up 27 per cent QoQ.

    Business news revenues were up 57 per cent (YoY), according to a statement issued by the company on the unaudited results. Business News operating margin was back at 50 per cent. Internet revenues were up 161 per cent (YoY), while newswire18 revenues were up 44 per cent (QoQ).

    Meanwhile, Infomedia (subsidiary-under-acquisition) revenues stood at Rs 410 million;

    Highlights:

    • TV18 forays into print medium with acquisition of Infomedia.
    • Announces a Strategic tie-up with Forbes to launch business magazine.
    • Web18 revenues show promising growth. Moneycontrol stays ahead of ndtv.com and wsj.com for the entire quarter.

    TV18 MD Raghav Bahl said: “We are happy to announce the financial results for this quarter. We are excited about our entry in the print space through the acquisition of Infomedia. Both news channels are maintaining their dominant positions in relevant markets. Web18 revenues have started showing strong growth. Newswire18 is continuously adding new clients to its list.”

  • Network 18 Q3 net profit Rs 270 million

    Network 18 Q3 net profit Rs 270 million

    MUMBAI: Network 18 Media & Investments has declared its third quarter results. Its consolidated net sales were up Up 60 per cent (QoQ) at Rs 1.854 billion.

    Network18’s consolidated net profit was at Rs 270 million (vs Losses of Rs 122.1 million in Q2) and it declared maiden (interim) dividend of 25 per cent.

    Network18 MD Raghav Bahl said: “We are extremely happy to share this quarter’s financial performance of the group. Our Channels are maintaining their leadership positions. We are witnessing a strong revenue growth in Web18 properties. Some new businesses are ahead of their business plans and others are doing as per expectations. The group has made a big entry in the print space with the acquisition of Infomedia. We wish to share the fruits of our strong entry into the phase of “profitable growth” with our shareholders by declaring an interim dividend of 25 per cent.”

  • Network18, Jagran in JV to launch Hindi biz daily

    MUMBAI: Soon after acquiring ownership control in Infomedia and forging a strategic alliance with Forbes Media for magazine publishing, Network18 has entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Jagran Prakashan to step into the newspaper space.

    For starters, the JV will launch a Hindi business daily in 2008. Though there are several English business dailies, there is no such offering in the Hindi language.

    The JV also intends to launch other Indian language dailies focused on financial and economic news. Says Network18 MD Raghav Bahl, “In recent years, business audiences have grown immensely in the Hindi heartland and regional markets, reflecting a democratisation of enterprise and wealth creation across the nation. We are delighted to partner Jagran Prakashan as it will allow us to fulfill this need powerfully in the print space, by combining TV18’s strengths in business content with Jagran’s intimate understanding of print markets.”

    TV18 has a roster of brands across television, online and information terminal platforms in the business space while Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL) publishes one of India’s largest news daily Dainik Jagran. The venture will also throw open opportunities to exploit across platforms.

    Says JPL CMD Mahendra Mohan Gupta, “Our experience in the language media space has revealed a growing interest in specialized business news and information, which this vehicle will enable us to cater.”

    The deal will help Network18 to access the distribution network of Jagran, a crucial piece in the print business.

    The JV will be governed by a board, comprising representatives from TV18 and Jagran Prakashan, which will oversee management plans and execution.

    The operational specifics in terms of brand name for the business daily and selection of the editorial and business team is in the process of being formalised, says an official release.

  • TV18 Q2 consolidated revenue up 67 % at Rs 883 million

    MUMBAI: TV18’s consolidated revenue grew 67 per cent year-on-year to be at Rs 882.97 million for the quarter ended 30 September 2007.

    Revenue from news operations was at Rs 735.05 million, up from Rs 476.92 million a year ago. Profit (after tax and ESOPs) in this segment was at Rs 156.93 million, as against Rs 119.40 million.

    Though revenue from the internet and software operations more than doubled to Rs 123.23 million (from Rs 53.16 million), TV18 incurred a loss (after tax and minority interest) of Rs 77.38 million as against a profit of Rs 16.36 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

    Newswire18’s revenue jumped to Rs 24.69 million, compared with Rs 8.93 million in the previous quarter. Loss (after tax and minority interest) has improved to Rs 29.86 million, from Rs 49.92 million.

    Said TV 18 MD Raghav Bahl: “Our channels are maintaining their leadership positions and revenues from Newswire18 are growing strongly. We are investing aggressively in Web18 as Internet remains a key focus area.”

  • TV18 Q1 consolidated revenue at Rs 682 million

    MUMBAI:TV 18’s consolidated revenues surged to Rs 681.57 million for the first quarter ended 30 June 2007, up from Rs 453.66 million in the year-ago period.

    TV 18 has posted a net profit of Rs 76.19 million on a turnover of Rs 579.23 million from its news operations for the first quarter ended 30 June 2007.

    In the year-ago period, revenue was at Rs 402.12 million while net profit stood at Rs 36.86 million. The company runs business channels CNBC-TV18 and CNBC-Awaaz.

    Though revenue from internet and software operations jumped to Rs 93.41 million from Rs 51.54 million, TV 18 incurred a net loss of Rs 25.53 million as against a profit of Rs 21.29 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.

    “The investment losses of Web 18 are minimised by strong revenues of existing portals,” the company said in an official release. Web 18 has commenced conversion to US GAAP standards.

    Newswire 18’s revenue stood at Rs 8.93 million while net loss was at Rs 49.92 million for the quarter. TV 18 acquired Crisil MarketWire (CMW) from Crisil Ltd and rechristened it as Newswire 18.

    Commenting on the performance TV18 MD Raghav Bahl said,: “We are thrilled with this Quarter’s performance. While our channels are scaling new heights in the business news space, the internet properties under Web18 have started posting robust revenues. Newswire18 has expanded its network and is ahead of its business plan.”

  • GBN, Lokmat in JV to launch Marathi news channel

    MUMBAI:Global Broadcast News Limited (GBN), a TV18 group company, has entered into an equal joint venture with the Lokmat group to launch a 24-hour Marathi language news and current affairs channel.

    Indiantelevision.com was the first to report that GBN would foray into the regional news space and would partner with a media company to launch a Marathi news channel.
    The Lokmat Group are the owners of Lokmat which is a widely circulated newspaper in Maharashtra, and other publications including Lokmat Times and Lokmat Samachar.

    “The launch of the Marathi channel is a continuation of the growth momentum gained by GBN since its launch and is in line with the company’s strategy of becoming an integrated media platform both nationally and regionally,” says TV 18 group MD Raghav Bahl.

    Adds GBN joint MD Sameer Manchanda, “We see the regional language space powering the next phase of growth in the Indian television industry. Our partnership with Lokmat will be driven by these opportunities and also be in line with our quest to transform into a full play media house.

    Commenting on the joint venture, Lokmat group chairman Vijay Darda has this to offer. “The joint-venture will combine GBN’s world class standards with Lokmat’s reach and understanding of the Marathi mind. Lokmat already owns the Marathi space due to its intimate connectivity with the Marathi heartland over the last three decades and this relationship will further expand and strengthen this base.”

    Already in the Marathi news space is Zee’s 24 Taas while Star is planning a launch soon.

  • TV9 in talks to buy 26 per cent stake in Indiavision

    MUMBAI: Hyderabad-based Associated Broadcasting Company Pvt Ltd (ABCL), which operates under the TV9 brand, is in talks to acquire a 26 per cent stake in Malayalam news channel Indiavision.

    ABCL and Indiavision have had the first round of discussions but couldn’t agree on the valuation, a source familiar with the negotiations says. Indiavision was valuing the company at Rs 1 billion but ABCL is agreeable to a much lower figure, he adds.

    The move is seen as a counter to the aggressive plans drawn by national broadcasters to step into the regional space. Zee News Ltd has already launched a Marathi news channel and others like Raghav Bahl’s TV18 Group are waiting in the wings.

    ABCL already runs a Telugu and a Kannada news channel. The company plans to launch a string of channels including a Mumbai-centric Hindi news channel. It is planning to raise Rs 2.5 billion from private equity funds to support all its expansion plans.

    Senior executives of ABCL will be visiting Indiavision office next week to thrash out some form of deal, the source says. If talks on equity participation break, discussions on forming a strategic alliance will be pursued.

    “ABCL could take up the marketing of Indiavision and an arrangement on infrastructure sharing could be worked out. Both the regional news networks realise that they need to strike an alliance as new competition is going to come from the bigger players,” the source adds.

    When contacted, Indiavision chairman and political leader Dr M K Muneer declined to comment.

    ABCL is 80 per cent owned by iLabs, a venture fund, and Unified Group. The balance 20 per cent is held by Ravi Prakash and five other professionals.