MAM
NDTV India: Bouncing back to profitability
MUMBAI: News broadcaster New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV)continues on the path to recovery. Its fourth quarter results for 2013 (up to 31 March) surprised many. The company‘s revenues are up and it appears to have got some amount of control on its bottomline which was getting battered a while ago.
Consolidated revenues at Rs 186.56 crore as compared to Rs 137.96 crore in the corresponding previous quarter are clearly looking good – a jump of 43 per cent. On a consolidated level its operating profit has shot up to Rs 42 crore for the quarter ended 31 March 2013 Rs 8.35 crore in the corresponding quarter the year before. Net profit was at Rs 27.81 crore as against a loss of Rs 41.33 crore.
The consolidated expenses were up 13.16 per cent in the last quarter to Rs 160.90 crore as compared to Rs 142.19 crore in the previous corresponding period. Its expenses were at Rs 120.71 crore in the immediate preceding quarter to 31 December 2012. Contributing to the increase in expenses was a surge in production costs (Rs 40.12 crore in Q4FY2013 vs Rs 25.43 crore in Q3 FY2013 vs 29.90 in Q4FY 2012), employee costs (Rs 41.37 crore in Q4FY2013 vs Rs 38.35 crore in Q3 FY2013 vs Rs 37.20 crore in Q4FY 2012) and marketing distribution and promotional expenses (Rs 42.63 crore in Q4FY2013 vs Rs 22.73 crore in Q3 FY2013 vs Rs 35.65 crore in Q4FY 2012).
Says NDTV Group CEO & executive director Vikram Chandra said, “The main reason for the increase in production costs and marketing costs is that we held some really big events like Support your School and Toyota University Cricket Championship. Correspondingly if you see, our revenues for the last quarter have also shot up and the events are one of the main reasons.”
On a consolidated basis the group reported revenues of Rs 526.81 crore in the year ended 31 March 2013 as against Rs 483.37 crore in the previous financial year. The NDTV group reported a net profit of Rs 1.91 crore as against a loss of Rs 87.38 crore in the previous year.
The company‘s share hit an intra-day high of Rs 77.30 before settling down to Rs 75.15 from its opening of Rs 72.60.
Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
