ITV

Tag: Tez

  • TV Today doubles Q3 profit before tax and interest from broadcast biz

    TV Today doubles Q3 profit before tax and interest from broadcast biz

    MUMBAI: The third quarter of the financial year 20123-13 has been the best quarter for news broadcasters notwithstanding the less than buoyant festive season with advertisers.

     

    TV Today Network’s revenue from TV business increased to Rs 879.6 million for the three-month period ended 31 December 2012, from Rs 765.7 million a year earlier.The company owns and operates news channels such as Aaj Tak, Tez and Headlines Today.

     

    Profit before tax and interest for TV Broadcasting business more than doubled to Rs 200.3 million from Rs 98.92 million a year earlier.

        
    TV Today Network’s net profit from the television and FM radio broadcasting business combined rose more than four times to Rs 153.5 million in the third quarter ended 31 December from Rs 35.49 a year earlier.

     

    On the pure radio business front, TV Today Network narrowed the loss before tax and interest to Rs 32 million in the third quarter from Rs 43 million a year earlier. Its revenue from radio was Rs 24.69 million against to Rs 21.47 million a year earlier.

     

    TV Today Network’s overall income from operations in the third quarter increased 15 per cent to Rs 903.7 million from Rs 786.79 million a year earlier, while its expenses for the quarter saw a marginal fall to Rs 752 million from Rs 742.7 million.

     

    TV Today Network’s production cost declined to Rs 93.3 million from Rs 102.5 a year ago.

     

    Its advertisement, distribution and sales promotion expenses were flat at Rs 229.8 million compared with Rs 220.2 million.

  • Q1: TV Today’s news biz sees small dip in rev & 3.8% fall in operating profit

    Q1: TV Today’s news biz sees small dip in rev & 3.8% fall in operating profit

    MUMBAI: TV Today, which runs a clutch of news channels including flagship Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, has seen a marginal dip in its fiscal-first quarter revenue from the television broadcasting segment while operating profit has slipped 3.84 per cent over the year-ago period.

    Revenue from the television broadcasting segment fell marginally to Rs 684.35 million for the three months ended 30 June 2012, from Rs 690 million a year earlier.

    The television broadcasting’s profit before tax and interest dropped to Rs 42.54 million compared to Rs 44.24 million a year ago.

    TV Today runs a four-channel bouquet comprising English news channel Headlines Today, Hindi news channels Aaj Tak and Tez, and regional channel Delhi Aaj Tak.

    The company’s overall net loss for the first quarter ended 30 June has widened 24.36 per cent to Rs 3.5 million from Rs 2.82 million a year ago.

    Income from operations during the quarter remained flat at Rs 705.74 million, from Rs 703.53 million a year ago. Its total income stood at Rs 706.43 million compared to Rs 703.94 million.

    Expenses during the quarter remained under control at Rs 711.34 million, a marginal decrease from Rs 713.34 million.

    TV Today’s FM radio broadcasting segment posted revenue of Rs 22 million, up from Rs 13.90 million a year ago.

    The radio broadcasting business reported a loss before tax and interest of Rs 45.44 million from Rs 47.71 million a year earlier.

    TV Today said it has made a strategic investment of Rs 455.2 million in Mail Today Newspapers for entering into print media.

    While conceding that Mail Today was incurring losses and is in early stages of operations, the company said it was confident of future profitability of the newspaper business.

  • QW Naqvi bids adieu to TV Today

    QW Naqvi bids adieu to TV Today

    MUMBAI: Veteran journalist has decided to bid adieu to TV Today Network where he was working as news director.

    Naqvi, 58, had rejoined TV Today Network in 2004 February and was responsible for successfully launching Tez and Dilli Aaj Tak.

    “I have decided to take retirement from the company, my last day at TV Today is 31 May,” Naqvi told Indiantelevision.com.

    Queried about his future plans, Naqvi said he hasn’t decided anything yet.

    Naqvi has straddled the world of print and television media for the last 30 years bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to bear through his grasp and understanding of news. Starting as a trainee journalist with the Nav Bharat Times Mumbai, he later moved to Nav Bharat Times Lucknow.

    By the mid-eighties, he had moved to Kolkata as the Chief Reporter in the Hindi weekly Ravivaar, covering the north-east extensively. A year later he was part of the core team that launched a new product Chauthi Duniya.

    In the late eighties, he returned to Nav Bharat Times in Lucknow and by 1993, he joined Nav Bharat Times Jaipur as Editorial Head. In June 1995, he joined TV Today Network as Associate Editor and he was the one who proposed the name Aaj Tak which has since become a generic name for news television in India.

    As a reporter, he has done several landmark stories, widely travelling across the country and working in different and diverse socio-economic and geographical landscapes, such as Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur. He has worked with three of the largest media houses of the country – Bennett Coleman, Anand Bazar Patrika and Living Media Group.

  • TV Today to close buy-back of shares on 25 July

    TV Today to close buy-back of shares on 25 July

    MUMBAI: Aroon Purie-promoted TV Today Network announced Monday it would close the buy-back issue of its equity shares of Rs 5 each with effect from 25 July.

    No order for the buy-back shall be placed after 22 July.

    TV Today also said the company has already bought back 244,884 equity shares for an aggregate amount of Rs 19.73 million.

    TV Today Network, part of the India Today group, operates TV news channels Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Tez and Delhi Aaj Tak.

  • ‘We are developing a 100 per cent Indian company’ : G Krishnan – TV Today Network CEO

    ‘We are developing a 100 per cent Indian company’ : G Krishnan – TV Today Network CEO

     TV Today Network Ltd. has been very conservative in expanding its footprint. While TV news organisations Network18 and NDTV Ltd. have scaled up their business model to work out a non news empire, the Aroon Purie-promoted company has stuck to its basic strength of running a string of news channels.

    Holding tight the purse strings, TV Today has stayed a profit-focussed company. Flagship Hindi news channel Aaj Tak continues to be the market leader while Tez and Dilli Aaj Tak are add-on channels serving targeted spaces. English general news channel Headlines Today has got a new positioning of being “refreshingly different.”

    The company intends to merge Radio Today Broadcasting Ltd, a group firm, with itself. TV Today, which currently holds 10 per cent in Radio Today, believes the synergy will help it to pocket local advertising much more efficiently.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Sibabrata Das, TV Today Network CEO G Krishnan talks about the company’s plans to launch more news channels to service the need gap while stressing on the need to get it correct.

    Excerpts:

    Why has TV Today been reluctant to scale up like TV18 or NDTV when it is sitting on Rs 1.7 billion of cash on books?
    Some media companies have tied up with international majors to fund their expansion. We are developing a 100 per cent Indian company. But we will have more channel roll outs. We are firming up a robust business plan. We are looking at all possibilities and are taking our time as we want to do it correctly.

    Will you wait for digitalisation to take off in a big way before adding more channels?
    We are studying the feasibility of launching niche channels. Distribution is currently the major cost in the P&L (profit and loss) account. However if we feel there is potential in any space in the long term, we will look at launching channels to service the need gap.

    Isn’t TV Today too dependent on flagship Hindi news channel Aaj Tak with Tez and Dilli Aaj Tak being low-cost channels?
    Media companies tend to depend on a single flagship channel. Star India has Star Plus as the main revenue channel while in case of Zee, it is Zee TV. But Headlines Today is growing and targeted channels like Tez and Dilli Aaj Tak contribute both to our turnover and our profitability. Tez has shorter news wheels while Dilli Aaj Tak is a Delhi/NCR specific Hindi news channel with the content led by utility in the capital region.

    TV Today had floated a wholly owned subsidiary company, TV Today Network (Business) Ltd, a few years back and was talking to American financial and business news major Bloomberg. Are the plans to launch a business news channel still alive?
    Bloomberg was talking to several players at that stage. We are still open to launching a business news channel, with or without partners.

    Are there any big plans for Headlines Today?
    Headlines Today has been on the growth track with the new positioning of “refreshingly different” and targeting the younger audience. We will further consolidate our position and launch more properties to strengthen the various time bands.
    ‘News channels are paying Rs 5 billion as carriage fee. It is for us as a group of broadcasters to see if we can ensure that this doesn’t gallop further‘

    Do you see a slowdown in the Indian economy affecting the TV news organisations?
    The TV news market, pegged at Rs 10 billion, is growing at 17 per cent. The size of the Hindi news market is Rs 6 billion while English general news channels make about Rs 2 billion. The healthy thing is that each segment is growing. The English business news space will see market expansion when the Times of India Group launches its product in this segment.

    Aren’t a rise in carriage and personnel costs a worrying feature?
    News channels are paying Rs 5 billion as carriage fee. The surge in distribution costs is killing the industry. It is for us as a group of broadcasters to see if we can ensure that this doesn’t gallop further. The personnel cost has not grown at an alarming pace for us in the last fiscal (Rs 552 million compared to Rs 445 million in FY’07). For some networks, though, the rise in costs will be really tough.

    The new players also should stick to reasonable ad rates. Everybody is hoping that good sense would prevail and the market shouldn’t be spoilt.

    TV Today’s revenue jumped 22 per cent to Rs 2.3 billion in FY’08. Was this driven by an ad rate hike and improved utilisation of Headlines Today?
    We had an effective ad rate hike of 12-13 per cent in the last fiscal. We have further increased our rates by 8-9 per cent in July.

    Was the 43 per cent surge in net profit to Rs 435.5 million led by an income in international distribution?
    We made Rs 100 million from international distribution. We plan to take both Aaj Tak and Headlines Today to Canada. We are doing research to assess that market.

    Do you see domestic pay revenues kicking in this year?
    We are a pay channel and are part of the One Alliance bouquet. We have turned pay in select markets as we do not want to lose our viewership and ratings. We will see distribution income grow.

    Zee News Ltd. has started the franchising model to have a footprint in the smaller markets. Do you see this as a growth model you would like to follow?
    We have not explored the franchising model. We feel launching our products directly in the marketplace is a better route.

    TV Today is in the process of merging Radio Today Broadcasting Ltd, a fellow subsidiary company, with itself. Why?
    The radio business will synergise with our TV business. We will tap local advertisers.
    If the government allows news on private FM radio, will we see a radical change in positioning from its current talk show format for women?
    We will have a heavy dose of news. And the synergy will work. When we launch more local channels in other markets, it will add strength to our radio advertising revenues.
    What has been the progress made by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) on the Content Code?
    The NBA is putting systems in place for a content code based on self-regulation for news television channels. We understand the need for a self-regulatory system and are aggressively pursuing it. We have formed the ‘News Broadcasting Standards (Disputes Redressal) Authority’ to enforce NBA’s code of ethics and broadcasting standards. The authority will become operational from 2 October.

  • Tehelka fallout: News channels off air in Ahmedabad

    MUMBAI: Following Tehelka’s ‘Operation Kalank’ sting expose of the Gujarat riots, seven news channels have been put off air in Ahmedabad since 26 October.

    Ahmedabad District Collector Dhananjay Dwivedi, who is also the District Election Officer, on Friday issued an order to all cable television operators not to telecast the Tehelka expose of the Gujarat riots “Operation Kalank.”

    As a result, news channels including Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Tez, CNN-IBN, IBN7, NDTV 24X7 and NDTV India are off air since Friday.

    The Friday order quoted the cable television network rules and regulations, 1995, clause five, sub-sections 1(C) and 1(E), under which the operators must not telecast any programme that could incite communal hatred or come in the way of maintenance of the law and order. 

  • TV channels undecided on apology scrolling

    TV channels undecided on apology scrolling

    NEW DELHI: The Indian government made it clear to TV channels yesterday that those guilty of breaching advertising code would have to publicly apologize, though channel managements are still undecided on future course of action.

    The ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued a warning to 43 channels directing them to carry a scroll for three days regretting airing surrogate advertisements of liquor and tobacco products in violation of rules.

    The scroll to be aired reads thus: “Ministry of information & broadcasting issues a warning to X channel for telecasting surrogate advertisements of liquor/tobacco products in violation of advertising code. X channel regrets this and apologies for the same. We assure to be more careful in future.”

    A gaggle of broadcasters, under the aegis of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), met ministry officials on Friday in an attempt to seek a resolution to, what a broadcaster described as, “uncalled for public humiliation.”

    The broadcast industry contention was that the government is unnecessarily objecting to ads of products and companies, which may have other legitimate businesses apart from tobacco and liquor products.

    Moreover, with the ASCI now given more teeth to regulate ads put out by companies, broadcasters argued, running a scroll of apology for three days would amount to financial setback and space loss for important news alerts too.

    However, the ministry officials were firm on their stand as, according to one of them, “too much pressure” was being exerted on the I&B ministry from parliamentarians who have criticized the ministry for inaction against surrogate advertising publicizing liquor and tobacco products on TV channels.

    The channels issued show-cause notice will be required to carry the warning scroll round the clock for three consecutive days on their respective channel from 18-21 August 2006.

    Still, the channels are undecided on future course of action and, according to information available, are also seeking legal advice on the matter.

    The channels that have been issued the warning are Aaj Tak, Animal Planet, B4U, Balle Balle, Channel V, CNBC TV-18, Discovery, ESPN, ETV Bangla, ETV Kannada, ETV Marathi, ETV-2, HBO, Headlines Today, India TV, MTV, National
    Geographic, NDTV 24X7, Raj TV, S S Music, SABe TV, Sahara Bihar, Sahara One and Sahara Samay.

    The list also includes Set Max, Sony Entertainment, Star Gold, Star Movies, Star One, Star Plus, SUN TV, Tara News, Ten Sports, TEZ, TV-9, Zee Bangla, Zee Café, Zee Gujarati, Zee Marathi, Zee News, Zee Sports, Zee Studio and Zoom.

    Rule 7(2)(viii)(A) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 states that “no advertisement shall be permitted which promotes directly or indirectly production, sale or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants.”

    In an official statement issued today, the I&B ministry said apart from liquor and tobacco ads, certain objectionable and indecent advertisements of undergarments were also found to have been telecast, which should be stopped immediately.

  • TV Today Network to launch NCR centric news channel –Delhi Aaj Tak

    TV Today Network to launch NCR centric news channel –Delhi Aaj Tak

    MUMBAI: Lack of adequate bandwidth with cable networks be damned. And, notwithstanding the lingering uncertainty over CAS despite a favourable court ruling, TV companies are gung-ho over introduction of new products.

    The Aroon Purie-promoted TV Today Network Ltd is poised to launch a 24-hour news channel catering to the national capital region (NCR) of Delhi, which will be the fourth from its stable.

    According to cable industry sources, the boxes have to be seeded before a formal launch. The new product is likely to be called Delhi Aaj Tak, trying to cash in on the brand equity of elder sibling and Hindi news market leader Aaj Tak.
    The tag line for the new channel would be Delhi Aaj Tak: aapka sehar, aap tak (Delhi Aaj Tak: your city, up close). Sources said that the proposed Delhi-centric Hindi language news channel is looking at going on air in the second quarter of calendar year 2006 (April-June).

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the team which will oversee the news channel is already in place. The proposed channel will beam via Insat 2E. The existing news channels from the TV Today stable like Aaj Tak, Headlines Today and Tez beam off the same satellite.

    The Delhi-NCR region already has a host of news channels with which Delhi Aaj Tak has to compete. Existing players in this segment include the Sahara NCR, S1 and Total TV. NDTV is also planning a new product to service the metros cities, including Delhi.

    However, ahead of the launch of the new product, TV Today has once again become a poaching ground for competitors. Recently, Aaj Tak’s senior anchor and deputy-executive producer Ashutosh had put in his papers to join as the managing editor of Channel7 (to be renamed IBN7), which is part of the TV18 network. It is being said that some other senior TV Today staffers are also likely to quit with new products luring them.

    The TV Today scrip, which opened today at Rs 88.60 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) had touched a high of Rs 92.85.