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Tag: Saurashtra Samachar

  • FY-2015: DB Corp revenue up 8%; My FM op profit up 52%

    FY-2015: DB Corp revenue up 8%; My FM op profit up 52%

    BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited, home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported an 8.1 per cent increase in Total Income from Operations (TIO) at Rs 2009.57 crore in FY-2015 (year ended 31 March, 2015, current quarter) as compared to the Rs 1859.76 crore in FY-2014.

     

    In Q4-2015, DB Corp TIO at Rs 455.6 crore was 6.9 per cent more than the Rs 454.17 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, but was 12.4 per cent lower than the Rs 554.57 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

     

    The company’s radio segment – My FM, which contributes less than five per cent (4.77 per cent in FY-2015) to its overall revenue, reported 20.7 per cent increase in revenue in FY-2015 to Rs 95.87 crore from Rs 79.45 crore in the previous year. My FM operating profit improved 51.9 per cent in FY-2015 to Rs 31.23 crore from Rs 20.56 reported in the previous year.

     

    My FM revenue in Q4-2015 at Rs 26.68 crore was 24.8 per cent more than Rs 21.37 crore in Q4-2014 and 3.9 per cent more than the Rs 25.69 crore in Q3-2015. The segment reported 38.4 per cent growth in operating profit to Rs 9.95 crore in the current quarter as compared to the Rs 7.19 crore in Q4-2014 and 5.4 per cent more than the Rs 9.44 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Advertising revenues

     

    In its earnings release, DB Corp says that revenue from print advertisement grew 1.3 per cent y-o-y to Rs 319.1 crore in Q4-2014 from Rs 315.1 in Q4-2014, while q-o-q, print advertisement revenue declined 18.9 per cent from Rs 393.4 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Radio advertisement in Q4-2015 grew 24.8 per cent to Rs 26.8 crore as compared to the Rs 21.5 crore in Q4-2015 and grew 4.3 per cent as compared to the Rs 25.7 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Digital advertising revenue grew 107.8 per cent in the current quarter to Rs 9 crore from Rs 4.3 crore in Q4-2014, but fell 1.2 per cent as compared to the Rs 9.2 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Company speak

     

    DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal said, “Going forward, our focus on managing growth will continue to be the key to healthy financials. In addition to market expansion, we are working hard to ensure a healthy bottom line through stronger internal operating efficiencies, tighter billing structures and better expense management. Over the past few months the government has put in process several initiatives to boost economic growth and we expect to observe its visible on-ground impact over the coming quarters. Our business fundamentals continue to be strong and we are confident of our business strategies that have positioned us as India’s largest print media company amongst national dailies.”

     

    Let us look at the other results reported by DB Corp:

     

    DB Corp reported 3.2 per cent higher PAT (Profit after Tax) at Rs 316.34 crore in FY-2015 as compared to the PAT of Rs 306.65 crore in FY-2014. PAT for Q4-2015 at Rs 64 crore declined 15.7 per cent from Rs 75.92 crore in Q4-2014 and declined 39.1 per cent as compared to the Rs 105.11 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    The company’s total expenditure (TE) in FY-2015 at Rs 1535.46 crore was 11.9 per cent more than the Rs 1423.72 crore in FY-2014. TE in Q4-2015 at Rs 390.74 crore was 6.8 per cent more than the Rs 366.02 crore in Q4-2014 and almost flat (lower by 0.4 per cent) that the Q3-2015 TE at Rs 392.19 crore.

     

    Raw material consumption (RMC) in FY-2015 at Rs 647.57 crore was 2.3 per cent more than the Rs 632.95 crore in FY-2014. Q4-2015 RMC at Rs 151.7 crore was 2.6 per cent lower than the Rs 166.59 crore in Q4-2014 and 9.6 per cent lower than the Rs 167.9 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Segment Revenue

     

    The company’s radio segment (My FM) results have been mentioned above.

     

    Printing and publishing of newspaper and periodicals (Printing segment) revenue at Rs 1877.7 crore in FY-2015 was 6.6 per cent higher than the Rs 1762.16 crore in the previous year. Q4-2015 revenue from this segment at Rs 448.41 crore was 4.7 per cent more than the Rs 428.21 crore in Q4-2014, but 13.6 per cent lower than the Rs 518.9 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Printing segment reported operating result of Rs 490.23 crore in FY-2015, which was 6.8 per cent more than the Rs 458.9 crore in FY-2014. In Q4-2015, the segment reported operating result of Rs 112.21 crore, which was 17.5 per cent more than the Rs 95.5 crore but 28.8 per cent lower than the Rs 157.76 crore in Q3-2015.

  • DB Corp Q3-2015 PAT up 54%; Radio segment posts 44% improvement in op results

    DB Corp Q3-2015 PAT up 54%; Radio segment posts 44% improvement in op results

    BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited (DB Corp), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar, reported a 54.3 per cent increase in PAT at Rs 105.11 crore in Q3-2015 from Rs 68.11 crore in the immediate trailing quarter and 11.3 per cent more than the Rs 94.46 crore in Q3-2014. Year-to-date (YTD) for 9M-2015, the company’s PAT at Rs 252.34 crore was 9.4 per cent more than the Rs 230.72 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. The company says that PAT grew in 9M-2015 after factoring forex loss of Rs 4.41 crore and incremental depreciation of Rs 17.25 crore, as per new Companies Act, 2013
     
    DB Corp’s radio segment (MyFM) reported a 43.8 per cent growth in operating result in Q3-2015 at Rs 9.44 crore versus the Rs 6.57 crore in Q2-2015 and 11 per cent more than the Rs 8.51 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2014. For 9M-2015, the radio segment’s operating result improved 59.1 per cent to Rs 21.28 crore from Rs 13.37 crore in 9M-2014.
     
    Advertising Revenues

     

    The company said that advertising revenues grew by 7.8 per cent in 9M-2015 to Rs 1162.3 crore as against Rs 1077.8 crore during corresponding period last year. Revenues from advertising reported a growth of 6.2 per cent y-o-y to Rs 428.3 crore in Q3-2015 from Rs 403.5 crore in Q3-2015, which had a high base of the third quarter of last year, benefitting from state election impact in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan.

     

    The company added that radio advertising revenues grew by 7.8 percent to Rs 25.7 crore in Q3 -2015 against Rs 23.9 crore in Q3-2014 on a high base of last year, mixed with state election impact.

     

    Let us look at the other results reported by DB Corp:

     

    DB Corp’s consolidated income from operations in Q3-2015 increased 15.5 percent to Rs 554.57 crore from Rs 480.21 crore in Q2-2015 and was 7 percent more than the Rs 518.20 crore in Q3-2014. For 9M-2015, income from operations at Rs 1523.97 crore was 8.4 percent more than the Rs 1405.56 crore in 9M-2014.

     

    The company’s total expenditure (TE) in Q3-2015 at Rs 392.19 crore was 3.9 percent more than the Rs 377.53 crore in Q2-2015 and 3.4 percent more than the Rs 379.21 crore in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, TE at Rs 1144.71 crore was 8.2 percent more than the Rs 1057.70 crore in 9M-2014.

    Raw Material consumption (RMC) in Q3-2015 at Rs 167.90 crore was 3.6 percent more than the Rs 162.09 crore in Q2-2015 and 2.6 percent lower than the Rs 172.41 crore in Q1-2014. RMC in 9M-2015 at Rs 495.87 crore was 6.3 percent more than the Rs 466.36 crore in 9M-2015.

     

    Segment Revenue

     

    Printing segment: Printing and publishing of newspaper and periodicals’ revenue at Rs 518.9 crore was 15.5 percent more than the Rs 449.32 crore in Q2-2015 and 6.2 percent more than the Rs 488.63 crore in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, printing segment revenue at Rs 1429.29 crore was 7.1 percent more than the Rs 1333.95 crore in 9M-2014.

     

    Printing segment reported operating result of Rs 157.76 crore in Q3-2015, which was 57.7 percent more than the Rs 100.07 crore in Q2-2015 and 11.7 percent more than the Rs 141.23 crore in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, the segment reported operating result of Rs 375.78 crore, 3.4 percent more than the Rs 363.39 crore in 9M-2014.

     

    Radio segment: The company’s radio segment operating results have been mentioned above. The segment’s revenue in Q3-2015 at Rs 25.69 crore was 12.8 percent more q-o-q versus Rs 22.77 crore and 11 percent more y-o-y compared to Rs 23.82 crore in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, radio segment’s revenue increased 19.1 percent to Rs 69.19 crore from Rs 58.07 crore in 9M-2014.

     

    Digital segment: DB Corps’s digital business revenue grew by 75 per cent to Rs 9.2 crore in Q3-2015 from Rs 5.25 crore in Q3-2014 while incurring EBITDA loss of Rs 2.17 crore.

     

    DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal said, “This quarter we diligently focused on three core areas: product, content and distribution, which demanded all our hard work and efforts. Through an exciting mix of a high quality product led by innovative content, focus on better local news coverage in each region, various ground activation initiatives to intensify reader engagement, events to welcome greater corporate partnerships, have all contributed to improving our reach to readers across our legacy and emerging markets. We continue to progress well through Jharkhand, Bihar and Maharashtra making good headway in the readership profiles of SEC A and B categories, particularly Bihar and Maharashtra, even on the back of a higher cover price. In Jharkhand, we are working doubly hard to move towards our break-even target in this fiscal. Our focus on stronger internal operating efficiencies has ensured our financial health through better expense management while newsprint costs have also seen a correction, which has contributed to the strong bottom line.”

     

    “Our non-print business continues to make steady strides. The environment within the digital, mobile and radio world in Tier 2 and 3 cities is exciting and there’s much to explore and study in consumption behaviour and trends in regional language in these areas, which we have already undertaken very actively. Our digital properties have been gaining larger viewership numbers due to real time region specific coverage, our mobile app has been developed with best-in-class engineering to serve audiences struggling with slow connectivity issues in 2 and 3 Tier cities and we expect good response from it. Several initiatives are in progress to enable us to take advantage of future growth opportunities,” he added.

     

    “The government has been working towards speeding up the needed reform implementations required to boost industrial and economic growth and we expect to observe some visible impact on better GDP numbers over the next two years. We are confident of our operating strengths and continue to execute to plan while maintaining stability in our profitability outlook,” Agarwal concluded.

     

  • DB Corp: Q2-2015; DB Corp radio operating profit up 2.6 times y-o-y

    DB Corp: Q2-2015; DB Corp radio operating profit up 2.6 times y-o-y

    BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited (DB Corp), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported a 1.8 per cent drop in Q2-2015 total income from operations (TIO) to Rs 449.32 crore from Rs 461.07 crore in Q1-2015, but saw an increase from the Rs 416.15 crore TIO reported in the corresponding quarter of last year.

     
    The company’s radio segment revenues however, went up 9.8 per cent in Q2 2015 to Rs 22.77 crore (4.7 per cent of TIO) from Rs 20.73 crore (4.2 per cent of TIO) in Q1 2015 and a massive 33.3 per cent more than the Rs 17.08 crore (3.9 per cent of TIO) in Q2 2014.

    While DB Corp’s Q2-2015 PAT fell 13.9 per cent to Rs 68.11 crore (14.2 per cent of TIO) from Rs 79.13 crore (16.2 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 and rose by 13.2 per cent  from Rs 60.16 crore (13.7 per cent of TIO), the company’s radio segment’s operating profit went up by 24.7 per cent in Q2-2015 to Rs 6.57 crore from Rs 5.27 crore in Q1 2015 and more than double (2.58 times) the operating profit of 2.54 crore in Q1-2014

    Let us look at the other Q2-2015 and HY-2015 figures reported by DB Corp

    DB Corp’s TIO for HY-2015 has been reported at Rs 969.41 crore which is 9.2 per cent more than the Rs 887.39 crore in HY-2014. It’s PAT for HY-2015 at Rs 147.23 crore (15.2 per cent of TIO) is 8.1 per cent higher than the Rs 136.26 crore (15.4 per cent of TIO) in HY-2014.

    The company’s total expenditure (TE) for Q2-2015 at Rs 377.53 crore was 0.7 per cent more than the Rs 374.99 crore in Q1-2015 and 9.1 per cent more than the Rs 356.15 crore in Q2-2014. During HY-2015, the company’s TE went up to Rs 752.52 crore from Rs 678.49 crore in HY-2014.

    The company reported 2.3 per cent lower raw material consumption in Q2-2015 at Rs 162.09 crore (33.8 per cent of TIO) versus the Rs 165.88 crore (33.9 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 and 7.8 per cent more than the Rs 150.36 crore (29 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2014. DB Corp’s raw material consumption in HY-2015 at Rs 327.97 crore (33.8 per cent of TIO) was 11.6 per cent more than the Rs 293.95 crore (33.1 per cent of TIO) in HY-2014.

     Segment Revenue

    DB Corp reports revenues from 5 segment: Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals segment (Publishing); Radio business; events; internet and power.

    The company’s radio segment details have been mentioned above. The results of the other three segments are quite small as compared to the contributions to overall revenue by DB Corp’s Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals and Radio Business segments.

     DB Corp’s Publishing segment revenue fell 2.6 per cent in Q2-2015 to Rs 449.32 crore from Rs 461.07 crore in Q1-2015 and rose by 8 per cent from Rs 416.17 crore in Q2-2014. Revenue in HY-2015 at Rs 910.39 crore was 7.7 per cent more than the Rs 845.32 crore in HY-2014.

    The segment reported a 15.2 per cent drop in operating profit in Q2-2015 to Rs 100.67 crore from Rs 117.95 crore in Q1-2015 and an increase of 2.9 per cent from Rs 97.27 crore in Q2-2014. Operating profit of this segment in HY-2015 at Rs 210.02 crore dropped 1.9 per cent from Rs 222.16 crore in HY-2014.

    According to the company, revenues from advertising reported a growth of 9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 361.0 crore in current period from Rs 331.1 crore in Q2 last fiscal, on a high base of Q2-2014.

    DB Corp Managing Director Sudhir Agarwal, said “We are happy to report a quarter of satisfactory performance driven by satisfactory advertisement revenue growth with strong traction from segments such as FMCG, real estate, Auto and Life Style categories. On an overall basis, we have ensured that our legacy and emerging markets maintain steady growth as we continue to focus on delivering a content-backed news product that has become an integral part in the lives of our readers in various age-groups and with diverse interests.

     
    Through continuous strategic reviews on product quality, DBCL is working diligently in each market to bring to its readers unbiased news reports based on local region-wise developments and on news of national importance. It is through this larger mission of unearthing the local potential that we continue to progress along the path of our vision to be the largest and most admired media brand enabling socioeconomic change.

    While the print media business segment on a self-growth momentum, we have maintained a steady focus on the non-print segment. 52 per cent of India’s population is 24 years or younger comprising audiences of Generation X, Y and Z. We have very successfully adapted ourselves to this digital and social era and are harnessing our strengths to offer greater value to audiences across radio, digital and mobile platforms.

    Over the past few months, macroeconomic sentiments have improved especially with several global institutions positively revising their India outlook, which has had a good impact on consumer and industrial confidence. We believe that the current outlook indicates broad economic stability and a pick-up in growth, which DBCL is very well positioned to capitalise on, given our inherent business strengths and position as the only media conglomerate that enjoys a leadership position in multiple states, and in multiple languages.”

     

     

    Click here to read the financial statement

  • Q1-2015: DB Corp reports higher income, PAT

    Q1-2015: DB Corp reports higher income, PAT

    BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited (DB Corp), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported improved results in Q1-2015, both in terms of total income from operations (Tot Inc) and PAT. The company reported Tot Inc of Rs 489.2 crore which was 7.7 per cent more than the Rs 454.17 crore in the immediate trailing quarter Q4-2014 and 8.9 per cent more than the year ago Op Inc of Rs 449.41 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    The company’s PAT in Q1-2015 at Rs 79.12 crore (16.2 per cent of Tot Inc) was 4.3 per cent more than the Rs 79.92 crore (16.7 per cent of Tot Rev) in Q4-2014 and 4 per cent more than the Rs 76.1 crore (16.9 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q1-2014.

     

    Note: (1) Rs 100 lakh = Rs100,00,000 = Rs 1 crore = Rs 10 million. (2) The figures mentioned in this report or on a consolidated basis.

     

    DB Corp’s Radio Business segment, with 17 stations across seven states of India under the Brand Name – MYFM reported 3 per cent lower operating revenue (Op Rev) of Rs 20.73 crore (4.2 per cent of Tot Inc) as compared to the Rs 21.37 crore (5 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q4-2014 and 20.8 per cent more than the Rs 17.16 crore (3.8 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q1-2014. The segment reported 26.8 per cent lower positive result at Rs 5.27 crore in Q1-2015 as compared to the Rs 7.19 crore in Q4-2014, but was more than double (2.17 times) the Rs 2.32 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    Let us look at the other results reported by DB Corp for Q1-2015:

     

    DB Corp’s total expenditure in Q1-2015 at Rs 374.99 crore was 2.4 per cent more than the Rs 366.02 crore in Q4-2014 and 12.8 per cent more than the Rs 332.34 crore in Q1-2014. The company’s raw material consumption in Q1-2015 at Rs 165.88 crore was 3.8 per cent less than the Rs 166.59 crore in Q4-2014 and 15.5 per cent more than the Rs 143.59 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    DB Corp reports revenues from five segment: Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals segment; Radio business; events; internet and power.

     

    The company’s Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals segment reported revenue of Rs 461.07crore (94.3 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q1-2015, which was 7.7 per cent more than the Rs 428.21 crore (94.3 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q4-2014 and 7.4 per cent more than the Rs 429.15 crore (95.5 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q1-2014.

     

    The company’s radio segment details have been mentioned above. The results of the other three segments are quite small as compared to the contributions to overall revenue by DB Corp’s Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals and Radio Business segments. The event segment has shown a 24.8 per cent q-o-q growth to Rs 1.4 crore in Q1-2015 in terms of operating revenue, while its internet business in Q1-2015 has grown by 36.7 per cent to Rs 5.89 crore as compared to Q4-2014. All the three segments reported negative operating results that slightly eroded profits generated by the other two segments.

     

    DB Corp Managing Director Sudhir Agarwal said, “We are happy to report a sound performance to start our fiscal year that reflects that we have sustained our growth momentum. We have maintained our strengths and leadership position in all our legacy markets as we also continue to demonstrate good growth in our emerging editions. Having already demonstrated operational excellence in the print business, we have also maintained a similar focus and emphasis on DBCL’s non-print segments spanning our digital and radio initiatives. Both these segments hold tremendous potential to capitalise on over the next few years, given India’s still nascent exposure to internet penetration and yet one of the largest and fastest growing digital markets.

     

    We have successfully leveraged our strengths in the print medium to deliver robust growth in the digital and radio businesses also and are in the process of achieving greater scale as well as being well placed to take advantage of future growth opportunities. On an overall basis, we have continued to capitalise on organisational efficiencies, expense management and maintained a strong momentum across print and non-print segments, supported by innovative brand development endeavours and a reader-centric approach that continues to drive growth.

     

    The macro-economic environment centered on a stable government reflects positive sentiments that are expected to translate into better GDP numbers. The current environment demands an agile operating model that can capture diverse growth opportunities. We are confident of our operating strengths and continue to execute to plan and invest for growth, while maintaining stability in our profitability outlook.”

     

    Click here to read the Consolidated financial report

    Click here to read the Standalone financial report

  • DB Corp higher PAT on higher print, radio, and digital media ad revenue, business adjustments in FY-2014

    DB Corp higher PAT on higher print, radio, and digital media ad revenue, business adjustments in FY-2014

    BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited (DB Corp), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported improved results in Q4-2014 and its board has recommended a final dividend of Rs 4.25 per share for FY-2014.

     

    Note: (1) Rs 100 lakh = Rs100,00,000 = Rs 1 crore = Rs 10 million.

     

    The company reported a higher PAT at Rs 306.6 crore in FY-2014 as compared to the Rs 218.1 crore in FY-2013, which includes a onetime tax gain of Rs 14.9 crore, on account of demerger of digital media business.

     

    The company says that its FY-2014 consolidated advertising revenue grew by 17.4 per cent to Rs 1417.8 crore as against Rs1270.5 crore is FY-2013. The company says further that its radio business ad revenue grew by 19.2 per cent to Rs 80.1 crore from Rs 67.2 crore in FY-2013 and that its digital media ad revenue grew by about 54 per cent to Rs16.3 crore in Fy-2014 from Rs10.8 crore in FY-2013.

     

    Let us look at the figures for FY-2014 and Q4-2014 reported by DB Corp

     

    DB Corp’s Total Operating Income (Op Inc) in FY-2014 at Rs1895.76 crore was 16.8 per cent more than the Rs 1592.32 crore in FY-2013. Q4-2014 Op Inc at Rs 454.17 crore was (-12.36) per cent lower than the Rs 518.20 crore in Q3-2014 and 14.08 per cent more than the Rs 398.10 crore in the last year quarter Q4-2013.

     

    Total Expense (Tot Exp) in FY-2014 at Rs 1423.72 crore was 11.94 per cent more than the Rs 1271.91 crore in FY-2013. In Q4-2014, Tot Exp at Rs 366.02 crore was (-3.48) per cent lower than the Rs 379.21 crore in Q3-2014 and 14.67 per cent more than the Rs 319.19 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Raw Material consumption (RM cost) forms a major portion of DB Corp’s expense (Between 33 and 37 per cent of Tot Inc). In FY-2014, DB Corp’s RM cost at Rs 632.95 crore (34.03 per cent of Op Inc) was 16.4 per cent more than the Rs 544.54 crore (34.20 per cent of Op Inc) in FY-2013. RM cost in Q4-2014 at Rs 166.59 crore (36.68 per cent of Op Inc) was (-3.37) per cent lower than the Rs 172.41 crore (33.27 per cent of Op Inc) in the immediate trailing quarter Q3-2014 and 24.57 per cent more than the Rs133.74 crore (33.57 per cent of Op Inc) in the corresponding quarter of last year.

     

    PAT in FY-2014 at Rs 306.64 crore (16.49 per cent of Op Inc) was 40.58 per cent more than the Rs 218.14 crore (13.7 per cent of Op Inc) in FY-2013. In Q4-2014, PAT at Rs 7.59 crore (1.67 per cent of Op Inc) was 1.67 per cent more than the Rs 9.45 crore (1.82 per cent of Op Inc) in Q3-2014 and (-86.26) per cent less than the Rs 55.26 crore (13.88 per cent of PAT) in Q4-2013.

     

    Segment Results

     

    Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals segment

     

    Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals (Printing) segment contributes more than 94 per cent to DB Corp’s total revenue. During FY-2014, Printing segment revenue of Rs 1762.16 crore (94.75 per cent of Op Inc) was 17.02 per cent more than the Rs 1505.86 crore (94.57 per cent of Op Inc) in FY-2013. Printing segment revenue in Q4-2014 at Rs 421.21 crore (94.28 per cent of Op Inc) was (-12.37) per cent lower than the Rs 488.63 crore in Q3-2014 and 13.87 per cent more than the Rs 376.06 crore (94.46 per cent of Op Inc) in Q4-2013.

     

    DB Corp’s Printing segment results in FY-2014 at Rs 458.9 crore was 32.63 per cent more than the Rs 345.97 crore in FY-2013. The company’s Q4-2014 result at Rs 95.5 crore was (-32.38) per cent less than the Rs 488.63 crore in Q3-2014 and 2.35 per cent more than the Rs 93.31 crore in Q4-2013.

     

    Radio Business segment

     

    DB Corp’s radio segment reported revenue of Rs 79.45 crore (4.27 per cent of Op Inc) in FY-2014 was 19.2 per cent more than the Rs 66.65 crore (4.19 per cent of Op Inc) in FY-2013. This segment’s Op Inc in Q4-2014 at Rs 21.37 crore (4.99 per cent of Op Inc) was (-10.28) per cent lower than the Rs 23.83 crore (4.88 per cent of Op Inc) in Q3-2014 and 17 per cent more than the Rs18.27 crore (4.59 per cent of Op Inc) in Q4-2013.

     

    This segment returned a positive result of Rs 20.56 crore in FY-2014 which was 89.18 per cent more than the Rs 10.87 crore in FY-2013. In Q4-2014, DB Corp’s radio business reported a result of Rs 7.19 crore which was (-15.47) per cent less than the Rs 8.51 crore in Q3-2014 and 75.73 per cent more than the Rs 4.09 crore in Q4-2014.

     

    The other segments –events, internet and power have reported very low numbers and have eroded the profits generated by DB Corp’s Printing and Radio business segments.

     

    DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal, said, “We have delivered a robust operating performance this year amidst a challenging market environment. Our focus on sustaining and extending leadership in core markets, consistent focus on operational efficiencies as well as strong performance across non-print segments have enabled us to report significant growth.

     

    The Bhaskar way of journalism places the reader at the center. Our growth strategy revolves around this philosophy and as we have successfully done in the past – we have ensured that our strategies combine ‘knowledge enhancement’ for the reader and ‘product differentiation’ towards growth. Therefore, our earlier associations with leading media brands for exclusive, unique content have started delivering exciting results. This quarter, we re-aligned our corporate sales and marketing strategy supported by key senior management appointments – with the aim of providing greater focus to advertisers at every state level. Our Un-Metro – Markets Driving India initiative extensively analysed the potential of high-growth non-metro regions with inspiring participation by marketing stalwarts across Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi, have also contributed significantly towards broadening our horizons. Our Bihar-Patna launch was an exciting challenge in that region and we are encouraged by an overwhelming response and wide acceptance; while our progress in Maharashtra continues well on course.

     

    DBCL’s non-print media segments have been making strong headway as we report commendable

     

    developments across our digital and radio properties. We have been leveraging our leadership strengths in print media – extending our editorial excellence and deep readership insights to make steady progress across digital and radio platforms. We are excited with the potential of post Phase 3 licensing and are well poised to strengthen our radio footprint.

     

    While the macro outlook does remain undefined, we are hopeful that, as we move towards political

     

    certainty, the consumer sentiment will become more positive and result in better growth across sectors. I am confident that with our clear strategic focus, strong business fundamentals, superior execution capabilities supported by a talented team, we will strive towards our vision to be the largest and most admired media brand as well as active socio-economic change agents.”

  • DB Corp y-o-y PAT up 53 per cent; radio business revenue up 25 per cent

    DB Corp y-o-y PAT up 53 per cent; radio business revenue up 25 per cent

    BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited (DBCL), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported good standalone results for Q3-2014 (Quarter ended December 31, 2013). Its overall PAT for Q3-2014 at Rs 94.83 crore grew by a healthy 30.7 per cent from the Rs 72.55 crore for the corresponding quarter of last year and grew by 52.7 per cent as compared to the Rs 62.12 crore during the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Consolidated PAT for Q3-2014 grew by about 34 per cent y-o-y at Rs 94.5 crore (PAT margin 18 per cent) against Rs 70.6 crore (PAT margin 15.9 per cent) in Q3 of last year. This increase in PAT factors onetime pre-operative expense of Rs 4.47 crore for Patna-Bihar new launches as well as forex gain of Rs 1.302 crore.

     

    DBCL radio business revenue for Q3-2014 at Rs 23.82 crore was 24.85 per cent higher than the Rs 19.08 crore for Q3-2013 and was 38.8 per cent more than the Rs 17.09 crore for Q2-2014. The segment showed almost double  (1.84 times) the positive result at Rs 8.51 crore for Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 4.62 crore for Q3-3014 and more than triple (3.34 times) the Rs 2.54 crore for Q2-2014.

     

    DBCL’s radio business advertising revenues have expanded by about 25 per cent y-o-y to Rs 23.9 crore in Q3-2014, against Rs 19.2 crore in Q3 of 2013.

     

    The company has shown reduced Capital Employed (Segment assets – Segment liabilities) for its radio business during Q3-2014 at Rs 48.14 crore which was 20.3 per cent lower than the Rs 57.92 crore in Q3-2013 and almost flat as compared to the Rs 47.83 crore for Q2-2014.

     

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by DBCL for Q3-2014

     

    The main major contributor to revenue in the case of DB Corp is Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals. This segment showed revenue of Rs 488.63 crore for Q3-2014, up 17.2 per cent as compared to the Rs 416.83 crore y-o-y and up 17.4 per cent q-o-q as compared the Rs 416.16 crore for Q2-2014. This segment showed improved positive results for Q3-2014 at Rs 135.7 crore for Q3-2014, 25 per cent more than the Rs 108.2 crore for Q3-2014 and a whopping 42 per cent more than the Rs 95.6 crore for Q2-2014.

     

    Capital Employed (Segment assets – Segment liabilities) by the Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals segment at Rs 1394.62 crore during Q3-2014 was 18 per cent higher than the Rs 1181.51 crore for Q3-2013 and 4.3 per cent more than the Rs 1294.46 crore for the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    The other revenue segments in the case of DBCL are events, internet and power, with all the three showing a combined revenue of about Rs 6.47 crore and combined negative segment result of Rs 2.53 crore.

     

    Total standalone expense for Q3-2014 at Rs 373.04 crore was 13.7 per cent more than the Rs 328.41 crore for Q3-2013 and 9.8 per cent more than the Rs 340.3 crore for the immediate previous quarter with two expense heads showed a major increase as compared to the other expense heads.

     

    The company saw a 19.6 per cent rise in raw material consumption to Rs 172.41 crore in Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 144.13 crore y-o-y and 14.7 per cent more than the Rs 150.34 crore q-o-q.

     

    Other expense for Q3-2014 at Rs 1,126.4 crore was 12.8 per cent more than the Rs 99.81 crore for Q3-2013 and 9.9 per cent more than the Rs 102.49 crore for Q2-2014.

     

    The company’s total consolidated revenue has shown a growth of about 19 per cent y-o-y to Rs 525.4 crore in Q3-2014 against Rs 442.9 crore of Q3 of last fiscal.

     

    The company reported a growth in revenue from advertising by 18.2 per cent y-o-y Rs 403.5 crore in Q3-2013 from Rs 341.2 crore in Q3 last fiscal. DBCL says that excluding barter and private treaty, its billing in Q3-2014 of both years, ad growth is 20.5 per cent.

     

    DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal said, “We are pleased with the good start to this year as we report a healthy performance in the third quarter. As we continue to maintain a pragmatic approach towards operational controls and higher efficiency, we have also been closely focusing on studying the marketing strategies of niche brands in Tier 2 and 3 cities that have echoed our confidence in the potential of these regions. This quarter we have seen strong focus from brands of FMCG, apparels, real estate, automobiles & government that have ramped up their respective marketing thrusts in these regions.

     

    While, we have achieved commendable growth in legacy markets, due to our relentless focus and ability to provide a differentiated product, we are excited with our progress in newer regions of Jharkhand, Maharashtra and now Bihar. We are set to launch in Patna- State of Bihar on 18th January ‘2014 which is of strategic importance for DBCL – the region being one of India’s most dynamic and developing states.

     

    Click below for:

     

    DB Corp’s Financial Results

    DB Corp’s Financial Release

  • 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.

  • Bharat Kapadia takes over as Bhaskar Group ED

    MUMBAI: Bharat Kapadia, executive director of Divya Bhaskar, has been appointed as the executive director of the entire Bhaskar Group. The appointment comes in the wake of the Group’s expansion through new ventures in the form of additional magazines and new initiatives coming from I Media Corporation Limited (IMCL).

    Kapadia’s role would make him responsible for not only Divya Bhaskar, but also Dainik Bhaskar and magazines like Aha! Zindagi and Bal Bhaskar in Hindi and Saurashtra Samachar in Gujarati. Two more Hindi publications are on the cards – a career magazine and a women’s magazine.

    “I joined Divya Bhaskar in 2005 and my mandate was largely to turn around the fortunes of the company, which we successfully managed to do so. I’m hopeful of carrying the same growth forward,” said Kapadia, about his appointment which is effective immediately.

    Kapadia has also been spearheading the ‘Vote For Taj’ campaign as chairman of IMCL, wherein they have won marketing rights for a campaign being created to promote Taj Mahal as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’. He elaborated, “The campaign for the Taj will only get more aggressive and we’ll be shortly unveiling the official song for the same.”