MAM
Hindustan Unilever Q2 FY2025 sees 4 per cent decline in PAT amid competitive pressures
Mumbai: Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), one of India’s largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, faced a mixed financial performance for the quarter ending September 2024 (Q2 FY2025). While the company managed to maintain a stable revenue flow, posting a modest 2 per cent year-on-year growth, its profit after tax (PAT) took a hit, declining by 4 per cent compared to the same quarter last year. This marked a challenging period for the consumer giant as rising input costs and sluggish consumer demand weighed down its profitability.
The financial results released on 23 October 2024, indicate that HUL’s revenue from operations stood at Rs 15,319 crores, up from Rs 15,027 crores in Q2 FY2024. However, the company’s Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA) margins saw a slight contraction. EBITDA for the quarter came in at Rs 3,647 crores, marking an 80 basis points (bps) decline to 23.8 per cent from 24.6 per cent in the same period last year.
A key highlight from the results was the dip in PAT to Rs 2,612 crores, down from Rs 2,717 crores in Q2 FY2024, representing a 4 per cent decline. This drop was driven by multiple factors, including escalating material costs and competitive pricing pressures in key segments like personal care and home care. Additionally, the company faced an exceptional restructuring charge of Rs 16 crores during the quarter, further compressing net earnings.
HUL’s executive director and company secretary, Dev Bajpai, commented on the results, stating: “While we continue to deliver on our commitment to revenue growth, profitability challenges are real. We are focused on operational efficiencies and agile strategies to navigate the cost pressures.”
The company’s Home Care division reported a sales increase to Rs 5,737 crores, while Beauty & Wellbeing achieved sales of Rs 3,323 crores. Yet, Personal Care and Foods & Refreshment segments faced marginal declines, with Personal Care revenue dropping to Rs 2,412 crores.
In a bid to reward shareholders, HUL declared an interim dividend of Rs 19 per equity share and a special dividend of Rs 10 per share for FY2025, totalling Rs 29 per equity share. The record date for the dividend is set for 6 November 2024, with the dividend payout scheduled for 21 November 2024. Despite the decline in PAT, HUL’s strong cash flow allowed it to maintain its dividend policy, signalling confidence in its long-term growth strategy.
The FMCG giant remains cautiously optimistic about the future. The company continues to emphasise innovation, digital transformation, and a consumer-centric approach to fuel long-term growth. Commenting on the company’s outlook, MD & CEO Rohit Jawa said: “Our investments in innovation and sustainability are non-negotiable as we focus on both protecting margins and driving top-line growth in the challenging macroeconomic environment.”
Looking forward, HUL’s ability to manage costs and drive sales growth in a competitive market will be crucial. With consumer preferences shifting and economic pressures persisting, the company must stay agile and innovate to regain momentum in the upcoming quarters.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
