iWorld
UFO Moviez board recommends 125% dividend for fiscal 2018
BENGALURU: The board of directors of Indian digital cinema distribution network and in-cinema advertising platform UFO Moviez Ltd (UFO) has mooted a dividend of Rs 12.50 (125 per cent) per equity share of face value of Rs 10 each subject to shareholder approval for the year ended 31 March 2018 (FY 2018, year or fiscal under review). UFO says that this dividend including dividend distribution tax translates to 68 per cent of its FY 2018 consolidated PAT.
UFO reported almost flat (up 0.8 per cent) consolidated PAT for FY 2018 at Rs 60.64 crore as compared to Rs 60.13 crore in the previous fiscal. Total comprehensive income or TCI for the fiscal under review increased 3.2 per cent to Rs 60.35 crore from Rs 58.50 crore in FY 2017. Simple EBITDA including other income for FY 2018 declined 7.5 per cent to Rs 172.93 crore (29 per cent of total revenue) from Rs 186.89 crore (31.1 per cent of total revenue) in the previous year.
UFO’s operating revenue in the fiscal under review was almost flat (reduced 0.8 per cent) at Rs 594.03 crore as compared to Rs 598.95 crore in FY 2017. Total revenue declined 0.6 per cent in FY 2018 to Rs 596.96 crore from Rs 600.65 crore in FY 2017. In its earnings press release, UFO says that advertisement revenue grew by 19.3 per cent to Rs 213.6 crore (In FY 2017 it was Rs 179 crore) million. Average advertisement minutes sold per show per screen grew to 5.19 per cent (FY 2017 – 4.34) minutes during FY 2018.
Total expenditure in FY 2018 increased 2.5 per cent to Rs 424.03 crore from Rs 413.76 crore in the previous year. Purchase of digitalcinema and lamps in the year under review was flat at Rs 67.56 crore as compared to R 67.57 crore in FY 2017. Ad revenue share expense in FY 2018 increased 26 per cent to Rs 65 crore from Rs 51.58 crore in the previous fiscal. Virtual print fees sharing expense in FY 2018 reduced 28 per cent to Rs 52.36 crore from Rs 72.72 crore in FY 2017. Other operating direct costs in FY 2018 increased 2.4 per cent to Rs 55.22 crore from Rs 53.40 crore in FY 2017. Employee benefit expense in FY 2018 increased 3.2 per cent to Rs 83.70 crore from Rs 81.12 crore in FY 2017. Other expenses in the year under review increased 11.3 per cent to Rs 94.81 crore from Rs 85.15 crore in FY 2017.
Company speak:
“UFO ended fiscal 2018 on a strong note by delivering robust advertisement revenues,” said UFO founder and managing director Sanjay Gaikwad. “Growing advertisement contribution to overall profitability minimised the impact of planned reduction in D-Cinema VPF revenue. Additionally, the Scheme of Arrangement and Amalgamation between UFO and Qube is progressing as per schedule and is currently awaiting requisite approvals from regulatory bodies. We are extremely excited about the future of the merged entity and the opportunities across in-cinema advertising. Also, the board recommended an enhanced dividend of Rs 12.5 per equity share in fiscal 2018. This marks the third consecutive dividend in line with UFO’s shareholder value creation philosophy. Going forward, we will continue to achieve our goals and are confident of delivering long term sustainable growth and shareholder value creation.”
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
