ITV

Tag: TV Today Network

  • TV Today Network cites tepid growth, less revenue for discontinuing Delhi Aaj Tak

    TV Today Network cites tepid growth, less revenue for discontinuing Delhi Aaj Tak

    MUMBAI: Recently, TV Today Network announced that the transmission of its Hindi news channel Delhi Aaj Tak (DAT) will be discontinued from the midnight of 30 June 2020. Speculations on the reasons for the closure were rife. The news network, however, has cited the tepid growth of the channel as a reason for discontinuing its operations.

    In a regulatory filing, TV Today Network said that DAT contributes less than one per cent to the total revenues of the company. It informed that total income from DAT for FY 20 was Rs 370.93 lakh out of the total income Rs 89,956.52 lakh of the company. The net worth contribution by DAT was also negligible.

    “Further, the business of DAT has not grown over the years, hence it is not viable to continue with the transmission and operations of DAT. Also, services of some of the people working in channel ‘Dilli Aaj Tak’ can be utilised more effectively in supporting the operations of the flagship channel of the company viz. AajTak. It is pertinent to mention that since the channel comprises of an insignificant portion of business of the company, therefore the said discontinuation shall not have any material impact on overall business of the company,” it added.

    The channel was launched 12 years ago on 31 December 2007. TV Today Network also has three other channels: Aaj Tak (Hindi), India Today Television (English), Aaj Tak Tez (Hindi).

  • TV Today’s rating upgraded as parent company becomes debt-free

    TV Today’s rating upgraded as parent company becomes debt-free

    MUMBAI: Credit rating agency CRISIL has upgraded the TV Today Network’s, a subsidiary of Living Media India Limited, long-term bank ratings as the parent company becomes debt-free.

    Aroon Purie founded Living Media India Limited (LMIL) had reported a net loss of Rs 6 crore for fiscal 2019, repaid its debt after getting an interim dividend from its arm TV Today Network (TVTN).

    According to a press release on BSE, the TV Today Network said: “The rating agency has upgraded its rating on the long-term bank facilities of the company to CRISIL AA/Stable from CRISIL AA-/ Stable.”

    LMIL had a debt of Rs 64 crore as of 31 March 2019 and received an interim dividend of Rs 68 crore in November 2019, which helped the company to become debt-free as of 24 December 2019.

    Meanwhile, TVTN has also mentioned in its statement that the rating agency has retained the short-term rating of the company at CRISIL A1+.

    According to CRISIL, the regular dividend income from TVTN may offset the weak operating performance of the publishing business. It believes LMIL will continue to benefit over the medium term from healthy financial flexibility being the holding company of TVTN

    LMIL, a publication house, was founded in 1975. It earns revenue from its own publications (India Today and Business Today). It owns India’s largest magazine distribution network. The Aditya Birla Group acquired a stake in LMIL in July 2012 and currently owns 41.5%.

    The India Today group, also founded in 1975, has diverse business interests, including magazines, TV channels such as Aaj Tak, India Today Television, Tez, and Dilli Aaj Tak, it also has a newspaper on its name called Mail Today, a classical music label (Music Today), and book publishing and printing.

  • TRAI directs DPOs to refrain from placing channels outside the genre

    TRAI directs DPOs to refrain from placing channels outside the genre

    MUMBAI: After receiving complaints from TV18 and TV Today Network against Republic Bharat, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed all distribution platform operators (DPOs) to refrain from placing channels outside their genres.

    TV18 and TV Today Network had written to TRAI that the newly launched Republic Bharat is being placed outside the Hindi news genre to garner higher viewership.

    TRAI stated, “The authority has received many complaints alleging transmission of television channels on dual LCN or placement of television channels by the distributors of TV channels, out of the genre declared by the broadcaster.”

    The TRAI regulations require every broadcaster to declare the genre of its channels such as ‘devotional’, ‘general entertainment’, ‘infotainment’, ‘kids’, ‘movies’, ‘music’, ‘news and current affairs’, ‘sports’ or ‘miscellaneous’.

    It is also mandatory for the distributor to place channels in the electronic programme guide, in such a way that the television channels of same genre, as declared by the broadcasters, are placed together consecutively and one channel shall appear at one place only. The authority has also said that action will be taken against such distributors who fail to comply with the regulations.

    “Now, therefore, the authority, in exercise of the powers conferred upon it under section 13, read with clause (b) of sub-section (I) of section 11, of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 of 1997) and in order to protect the interest of service providers and consumers and ensure orderly growth of the sector, hereby directs all distributors of the television channels to ensure that the television channels of same genre, as declared by the broadcasters, are placed together consecutively and one channel shall appear at one place only failing which action shall be taken against such distributors, under the provisions of TRAI Act, 1997,” TRAI concluded.

  • Aaj Tak most watched Hindi News channel in 2018

    Aaj Tak most watched Hindi News channel in 2018

    BENGALURU: The most watched Hindi news channel in the Hindi speaking market (HSM)–be it urban (U), rural (R) or combined (U+R) is India Today TV Network’s Aaj Tak during the first 37 weeks of 2018. The channel was present during all the first 37 weeks of 2018 according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data for weeks 1 to 37 of 2018 (Saturday, 30 December 2017 to Friday, 14 September 2018) in all the three weekly lists for HSM (U+R), HSM (U) and HSM (R).
    Overall, Aaj Tak topped BARC’s weekly lists for HSM (U+R) during the first 37 weeks of 2018 in terms of overall viewership. In HSM (U+R), Zee News was the second most watched Hindi news channel during the first 37 weeks of 2018, followed by India TV. Only three channels appeared in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U+R) during all the first 36 weeks of 2018. Aaj Tak was ranked first for 35 of the first 37 weeks of 2018, followed by Zee News and India TV which were ranked first for one week each in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U+R).

    In HSM (R), Aaj Tak was the only channel that was present in BARC’s weekly lists during all the first 37 weeks of 2018. The next closest channel in terms of presence in BARC’s HSM (R) lists was News Nation, which was present for 34 of the first 37 weeks of 2018. Zee News was next – it was present for 30 of the first 37 weeks of 2018 in BARC’s top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (R).
    In terms of average viewership during the first 37 weeks of 2018, after Aaj Tak, ABP News was second – the channel was present in BARC’s HSM (R) lists for 27 of the first 36 weeks of 2018. Zee News was third in HSM (R) in terms of average viewership during the 29 of the first 36 weeks it was present in BARC’s HSM (R) lists.
    Four channels were present in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U) during all the first 37 weeks of 2018. Aaj Tak also topped the BARC weekly lists in HSM (U) followed by Zee News, India TV and ABP News in terms of overall viewership during the first 37 weeks of 2018. Aaj Tak was ranked first for 29 of the first 37 weeks of 2018, followed by Zee News which was ranked first for 6 of the first 36 weeks of 2018 and India TV which was ranked first for two of the first 37 weeks of 2018.
    News 18 India just missed the bus by just 1 week. It was present for 36 of the first 37 weeks of 2018 in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U). In terms of average weekly viewership, News 18 India would be ahead of ABP News. News 18 India had higher average weekly viewership during the 36 weeks that it was present in BARC’s weekly lists as compared to the average weekly viewership of ABP News during the 37 weeks that it was present in BARC’s weekly lists.
    News Nation was present for 6 of the first 36 weeks of 2018 in BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U+R). Besides Aaj Tak,HSM rural audience’s showed a preference for News Nation in terms of its presence in the respective BARC weekly lists. However, the channel would be ranked sixth based on its average weekly impressions during the 34 of the first 37 weeks of 2018 that it was present in BARC’s lists in HSM (R), behind Aaj Tak, ABP News, Zee News, News 18 India and India TV respectively. In the case of urban HSM audiences, News Nation was present for only one week in the respective BARC’s lists during the first 37 weeks of 2018.

  • Aaj Tak relaunches ‘Seedhi Baat’

    Aaj Tak relaunches ‘Seedhi Baat’

    MUMBAI: TV Today Network has relaunched its big-ticket Hindi show Seedhi Baat. The show will be hosted by Sweta Singh, news anchor and executive editor of special programming at Aaj Tak.

    The first episode of the show, which  will air at 8 pm on 24 March, will feature BJP president Amit Shah as the guest.

    TV Today Network managing editor Supriya Prasad said, “Seedhi Baat aims to have blunt straight talk with various leaders of the industry. It embodies a tough-as-nails approach to interviews. One-on-one hard-hitting conversations with powerful leaders, celebrities, tycoons and so forth as opposed to noisy debates.” 

    The guests in Seedhi Baat will be from across a variety of sectors – UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia to name a few from politics and Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan from Bollywood while Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya from the world of sports. The channel intends to approach prime minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

    “Sweta is one of our most experienced journalists. She has tremendous exposure to news coverage. She has interviewed politicians, cricketers, international leaders, actors. But above all, her style of interviewing is direct without being fierce. She asks straight questions but does not shout down her guests,” added Prasad.

    The promotions of the show will run all through the year. The network will also have a driver program running up to the 2019 elections. Out of home campaigns will run in Delhi and major cities in Uttar Pradesh as well as the old mix of outdoor, TV, radio, print and social media.

    Speaking on the opportunity, Singh said, “I will be direct, tough and assertive. But I don’t believe in cutting my guest mid sentence. Seedhi Baat is a huge brand and I will put in all efforts to uphold the dignity, neutrality and credibility of the show.” 

    She believes that the show will deliver what the audiences are looking for. “The audiences want to hold power to account. They want honest answers. They want to see the reality, the truth. Seedhi Baatpromises to deliver all of that. It’s assertive but not noisy. The show has a proud history. It has had leaders like Narendra Modi facing tough questions. It featured superstars of the stature of Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. Our Seedhi Baat with them is still etched in public memory,” she said.

    Seedhi Baat is iconic for its earlier host Prabhu Chawla who won several awards for the show and for his style of asking direct and to-the-point questions. After his departure from the India Today group in 2010, the show was taken over by MJ Akbar.

    Also Read :

    BARC week 2: Aaj Tak leads Hindi News in all three markets

    Republic TV leads English news; ­Aaj Tak tops Hindi news ranking

  • TV Today Network elevates Aroon and Kalli Purie

    TV Today Network elevates Aroon and Kalli Purie

    MUMBAI: TV Today Network has elevated Kalli Purie from her current designation of Vice Chairperson. She has been given additional responsibility of Managing Director and Chairperson for the company for a period of five years starting from the next financial year, i.e., 1 April. The board has also re-designated Aroon Purie as the new Chairman and Whole Time Director for the same term. 

    Kalli Purie will be taking the seat of Aroon Purie in the new position shifts. The appointments are board approved and are subject to the approval of shareholders now.

    In October, India Today Group Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie had handed over the baton of the media group to Kalli Purie who was serving as the Group Editorial Director (Broadcast & New Media) of the India Today Group and was then made Vice-Chairperson of the group.

    TV Today houses the TV broadcasting and FM radio business in addition to Mail Today.

    The India Today Group has properties spanning TV, print and digital including news channels Aaj Tak and Headlines Today. Living Media is the parent company of the group and the promoter group in TV Today Network. It has more than 24 magazines including editions of leading international titles. Through its multiple media brands and platforms, the India Today group reaches more than 225 million people every month.

    Under the new structure, the Group CFO, Group CEO and all the heads will report to Kalli. However, the Group Editorial Director (Publishing) and Group CFO also have a dotted line reporting to the chairman.

    In an internal email to employees, Aroon Purie had said that he wants to spend time on the strategic steering of the group and exploring new opportunities. He has been at the helm of the India Today Group for 42 years and has been involved in its day to day operations.

  • TV Today Network reports higher numbers for Q3 2018

    TV Today Network reports higher numbers for Q3 2018

    BENGALURU: TV Today Network Limited (TVTN) reported 23.2 per cent y-o-y increase in standalone revenue from operations in the quarter ended 31 December 2017 (Q3 2018, quarter under review) to Rs 173.59 crore as compared to Rs 140.88 crore in Q3 2017. Profit after tax (PAT) for Q3-2018 increased 35.8 per cent y-o-y to Rs 35.73 crore (20.6 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 26.32 crore (18.7 per cent margin).

    EBITDA calculated for Q3-2018 at Rs 57.16 crore (32.9 per cent margin) increased 36.5 per cent y-o-y as compared to Rs 41.88 crore (29.7 per cent margin).

    Segment revenue

    TVTN’s Television Broadcasting segment (TV segment) reported a 22.6 per cent y-o-y increase in operating revenue in Q3-2018 at Rs 167.03 crore as compared to Rs 136.26 crore. Operating profit from the segment in the quarter under review increased 35.9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 56.19 crore as compared to Rs 41.35 crore.

    The company’s radio segment reported more than 2.25 times operating revenue at Rs 6.56 crore as compared to Rs 2.62 crore in Q2 2018. The segment’s operating loss in the current quarter was higher at Rs 5.84 crore as compared to the operating loss of Rs 5.67 crore in Q3-2017.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by TV Today

    Total expenditure in Q3-2018 at Rs 124.54 crore was 17.4 per cent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 106.60 crore. Production cost in Q3-2018 increased 4.9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 15.76 crore as compared to Rs 15.02 crore.

    Employee benefit expense in the quarter under review at Rs 43.82 crore (24.9 per cent of TIO) was 20.1 per cent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 36.49 crore.

    Other expenses in Q3-2018 at Rs 56.85 crore were 19.7 per cent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 47.49 crore.

    Also Read :

    TV Today numbers up

    India Today Group CEO Ashish Bagga resigns

  • TV Today Network director Koel Purie-Rinchet quits

    NEW DELHI: Churning continues at the India Today Group’s TV Today Network that operates TV news channels like India Today TV and Aaj Tak. Now Koel Purie-Rinchet, daughter of promoter Aroon Purie, has resigned as a director from the company owing to “other pre-occupations” effective 11 August 2017.

    The latest development, which was intimated to the stock markets, comes a few days after Group CEO Ashish Bagga had quit the company.

    Purie-Richet, part time film actress who also has done some TV shows, is the second of the two daughters of the company’s promoter. Her sibling, Kallie Purie, continues to be with the company and, according to industry sources, is at the helm of day to day affairs of the company after Bagga announced his intentions to leave the company.

    Also Read:

    India Today Group CEO Ashish Bagga resigns

    TV Today numbers up

     

  • India Today Online is TVTN’s wholly-owned subsidiary now

    MUMBAI: India Today Online Private Limited (ITOPL) has now become a wholly-owned subsidiary of TV Today Network Ltd.

    India Today Online, on 28 March 2017, issued and allotted 1,99,20,000 equity shares of Rs. 10 each to Living Media India Limited (LMIL) which constitutes 21.01% of the paid-up share capital of ITOPL, against the loans and advances made by LMIL to ITOPL.

    T.V. Today Network (TVTN) entered into an agreement to gift with LMIL on the same date, i.e. 28 March, 2017, under which the TVTN will acquire 1,99,20,000 equity shares of ITOPL of Rs. 10 each (representing 21.01 per cent of the paid-up share capital of ITOPL) from LMIL by way of gift upon completion of procedural requirements under the agreement to gift.

    After the aforesaid acquisition, TVTN will hold 100 per cent of the issued and paid-up share capital of ITOPL.

    In a separate earlier report, TV Today Network stated that it shall not undertake the agreement, entered into with Entertainment Network (India) Limited, to sell three Metro FM Radio stations, as was earlier approved by the board. TV Today had inked a deal to sell seven Oye FM radio stations to ENIL which operates Radio Mirchi. However, MIB did not approve sale of three stations and the matter went before the Delhi High Court. Such sale agreement was subject to the approval of the MIB or an order from the Delhi High Court allowing the sale of Metro Radio stations whichever is earlier.

    Also Read:

    Q2-17: TV Today Network topline up

    ENIL revenue up in third quarter of 2017

  • Hector Kenneth Kumar joins Times Now as managing editor

    Hector Kenneth Kumar joins Times Now as managing editor

    MUMBAI: In the changing dynamics at Times Now, there has been a re-framing of sorts. After the much-talked departure of prime time host and editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, the channel roped in former senior editor Rahul Shivshankar as the chief editor.

    Now, in a recent development, NewsX managing editor Hector Kenneth Kumar has joined Times Now as managing editor. Kumar is an engineering graduate from MIT Manipal University, who worked briefly as an engineer before venturing into the mainstream media. He was a member of the core team of Times Now’s launch. His contributions took the editorial function of the channel to new heights as he is skilled in aligning business goals with the news strategy of the organisation.

    Times Now MD and CEO MK Anand confirmed the development to indiantelevision.com. Kumar who joined Times Now in mid-December, was earlier with NewsX for a short stint from September 2016.

    This would be Shivshankar’s and Kumar’s second stints with the network after six years and three months, respectively. Rahul had earlier worked as the senior editor of Times Now and the executive editor of Headlines Today (TV Today Network).

    On the other front, Arnab has made the much-awaited announcement of his next venture, named ‘Republic’.

    According to people familiar with parleys leading up to his resignation, Arnab left Times Now following differences with its owners, the Jains – Sameer, Vineet and Raj – of Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd. On his plans, Arnab had said, “Independent media is going to thrive, the game has just begun.”

    With newsmen from NewsX hopping onto Times Now, it would be interesting to see how the former deals with the changing times. Times Now for its part has been slightly ahead of competition in the recent past and it all began with Arnab leading the charge with his firebrand version of heated TV debates.