ITV

Tag: Raghav Bahls

  • Bahl’s SAW to launch on Zee bouquet in UK

    Bahl’s SAW to launch on Zee bouquet in UK

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bahls international venture South Asia World (SAW), which has been looking at the UK space for a while now, has signed a distribution pact with Zee Telefilms.

    SAW would be bundled and distributed with the Zee channels. The infotainment channel, which made its debut in the US last year, is now looking at charting a new route in the UK market around May.

    According to broadcasting industry sources, a memorandum of understanding with regard to distribution pact has already been signed with Zee Telefilms. However, as of now, other financial details of the deal are not available.

    SAW will be the fifth pay channel in the Zee bouquet on the Rupert Murdoch-controlled BskyB digital platform.

    In the Zee platter on the BskyB platform, Zee TV and Zee Cinema cost £12.99. Alpha Punjabi as a stand alone channel is priced at £ 9.99 while Zee Music is a free to air channel.

    For UK, SAW is likely to be uplinked from India to HongKong from where it would be picked up by BskyB hub to BSkyB’s main broadcast center in London.

    SAW is operated through a company named India World Network USA Inc, which is promoted by Bahl.

    In a related development, SAW would foray into the Middle-East market where a sizable South Asian population exists. SAWs’ roll out in the Middle-East market is likely to be in tandem with its debut in UK market. Barring last moment hitches the channel would beam after a couple of months.

    The channel primarily aims at targeting the Asian community. SAW will deliver news and views from India and the subcontinent. Its programming also includes local coverage of the South Asian community within the United States and the UK.

  • TV18 Q2 net Rs 239 million; to expand broadcast operations

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bahl’s Television Eighteen, the owner of business news channel CNBC-TV18, has reported a net profit of Rs 23.9 million for the July-September quarter. This is before providing for foreign exchange losses. The company today informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that it plans to raise money through a rights issue to expand its broadcasting operations
    After deducting forex losses, the TV18’s bottomline is Rs 18.2 million. In the same quarter last year, the company had logged a loss of Rs 1.6 million without forex losses and Rs 9.8 million after forex losses. Importantly, operating margins are up at 37.58 per cent from 22.09 per cent. The net sales of the company rose 25.54 per cent to Rs 109.1 million from Rs 86.9 million.
    The company’s board today approved raising of money through a rights issue. The company had raised money through a rights issue in February 2003. In between, it had also raised money through zero coupon debt.
    Moneycontrol.com quoted Bahl as saying the money being raised will be used for expansion. “The cash requirements of current operations, the channel, are nil. This channel is funding itself. The company has got cash on the books to completely look after the requirements of the existing channel. We are looking at a rights issue, which our board has approved this morning, is purely for expansion of our broadcast operations and our broadcast properties. After fairly good success of the channel, CNBC-TV18, there are clearly good opportunities available in this space and related spaces. The market is expanding,” Bahl was quoted as saying.

  • TV18 FY2003 net Rs 30 million

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bahl’s Television Eighteen, TV18, announced its financial results yesterday. For the year ended March 2003, revenue is up 25.06 per cent, at Rs 361.7 million, compared to Rs 289.21 million last year. Net profit for the year is at Rs 30.2 million, compared to a loss of Rs 46.41 million last year.
    For the fourth quarter revenues are up 8.9 per cent sequentially to Rs 106.65 million, from Rs Rs 97.9 million last quarter. Revenues in Q4 2002 stood at Rs 82.46 million.
    The company has posted a 108.87 per cent QoQ increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 24.23 million, compared to Rs 11.6 million last quarter, the company has reported. Net profit for Q4 2002 was Rs 4.01 million.
    The financial performance includes TV 18 India and its subsidiary companies TV 18 Mauritius, Eighteen Entertainment India, E18, and Moneycontrol.com.