MAM
Esha Media to enter TAM territory
MUMBAI: Mumbai-based media monitoring service provider Esha Media Research Limited (EMRL) is foraying into the television audience measurement space.
Television audience measurement or television ratings service is currently monopolised by TAM Media Research, a joint-venture of Nielsen and Kantar Media.
Without revealing its plans in detail, EMRL Managing Director R S Iyer said the company‘s television viewership measurement instruments are being tested digitally.
“We are interested in the television ratings space however I won‘t be able to reveal much about it at this point,” Iyer tells Indiantelevision.
EMRL has been formed from the merger of Esha News Monitoring (ENM) with Laser Dot, a Hyderabad-based company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Iyer was one of the founding promoters of ENM.
Laser Dot was renamed as Esha Media Research Limited (EMRL) after the reverse merger and has become the country‘s only media monitoring services firm listed on an exchange.
ENM braved an economic slowdown of 2008 and a failed sale deal with Octant Interactive in 2009 amidst the economic slowdown. It survived to tell a tale.
The immediate goal before ENM founders was to raise capital to fund their growth plans and they found a way out with the plan to merge with Laser Dot, which was into printing and publishing.
EMRL has set a two-pronged strategy: to upgrade its existing technology and to raise capital to expand in new areas with a pan-India footprint.
Apart from television audience measurement, EMRL is also looking to foray into other newer areas which include Online Business Monitoring Report, Television Monitoring Intelligence Report, Online Print Media Monitoring, and Social Media Monitoring.
“Our desire is to position EMRL as a complete media monitoring company and also have a pan India presence. Therefore, we decided to merge ENM with a listed entity so that it can raise adequate resources,” Iyer states.
ENRL has already raised Rs 50 million of equity from high networth individuals (HNIs) and is in the process of mobilising another Rs 80 million from HNIs for expansion, says Iyer.
During fiscal 2012, ENM had earned a net profit of Rs 5.2 million on revenues of Rs 111.5 million.
“Merging with a listed company gave ENM adequate avenues to raise capital so that it can venture into other areas,” Iyer adds.
EMRL is slated to also introduce a special product designed to track political developments and events which the company claims will be a first for the Indian market.
All services will be available online breaking all the delivery restrictions, Iyer asserts.
Apart from Iyer, ENM‘s founding directors included Jyoti Babar, Chhaya Parab, and Shilpa Pawar. The other shareholders of ENM included Iyer‘s friends and relatives.
The shareholders of ENM now own 67 per cent of EMRL.
The four founding directors of ENM would be on the board of EMRL. “The entire management of the listed entity now vests with the new team,” informs Iyer.
Asked about the deal with Octant Interactive in 2009, Iyer said the agreement could not be completed as the company backed off due to recessionary fears. The hunt for capital finally saw the founders forging a partnership with Laser Dot last year.
“During the time of recession in 2008-09, the working capital cycle got elongated due to slow recovery from debtors. ENM did not enjoy any working capital facilities from any bank or financial institution. It was a turbulent time as the company was going through an uncertain phase,” Iyer said reminiscing those days.
MAM
Filmcity Media CFO Mohit Jain quits; CEO Kirti Vishnu Tiwari takes charge of finance
Board appoints Prabhat Modi as additional director and approves Rs 1.9 crore preferential share issue
MUMBAI: Filmcity Media has reshuffled its top deck. Chief financial officer Mohit Jain has stepped down, prompting the board to hand the finance reins to chief executive Kirti Vishnu Tiwari even as the company lines up fresh capital and new boardroom muscle.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE, Filmcity Media said Jain resigned from the roles of director and chief financial officer with effect from March 11, 2026, to pursue another career opportunity. He ceased to be a key managerial personnel of the company at the close of business on that date.
The board swiftly moved to plug the gap, appointing Kirti Vishnu Tiwari as chief financial officer from March 12, 2026. Tiwari, who already serves as executive director and chief executive, will now hold the combined role of executive director, CEO and CFO, taking charge of the company’s finance function while continuing to lead operations.
The leadership changes were approved by the board following recommendations from the nomination and remuneration committee, with the audit committee also backing Tiwari’s appointment as CFO to ensure governance oversight. Under the arrangement, Tiwari will continue as a key managerial personnel under Section 203 of the Companies Act, 2013.
Filmcity Media also expanded its board, appointing Prabhat Modi as additional director with effect from March 13, 2026, for a term of five years. The appointment, categorised as a non-executive non-independent directorship, will require shareholder approval at the next general meeting.
Modi brings capital market experience to the role. He holds a B.Sc in accounting and finance from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom and a PGDM from the National Institute of Securities Market. His professional experience includes stints at SBI Mutual Fund, BSE India and Morningstar India, where he worked on market research, financial analysis and capital market operations.
Tiwari, meanwhile, brings experience spanning finance, marketing and hospitality. A graduate of Lucknow University, she has previously worked with Hotel Holiday Inn, Hotel Leela Kempenski and Hotel Sea Rock, along with roles at Pawan Hans Helicopter and CBRE South Asia.
Separately, the board also approved a preferential issue of equity shares to members of the promoter and promoter group as well as non-promoter investors. The proposed fundraising, subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to raise up to Rs 1.9 crore.
The company said both appointees meet all regulatory requirements under SEBI regulations and the Companies Act and are not barred by any regulatory authority from holding their positions.
With a new board face, a CEO doubling as CFO and fresh capital on the table, Filmcity Media appears to be tightening its leadership and balance sheet in one swift move.
