Digital
HT Media’s Q2 report reflects continued losses amid revenue gains
Mumbai: HT Media Limited reported revenue from operations of Rs 42,375 lakhs for Q2 of fiscal year 2025, a 7.5 per cent increase over Q1 (Rs 37,851 lakhs) and a 7.6 per cent increase year-over-year from Rs 39,399 lakhs. This upward trend reflects the firm’s aggressive digital strategy and market resilience. However, operating costs outpaced revenue growth, with total expenses rising to Rs 48,867 lakhs from Rs 46,544 lakhs in the previous quarter, driven primarily by material costs, employee expenses, and finance charges. The escalating costs reflect broader inflationary pressures impacting raw materials and payroll, challenging HT Media’s path to profitability.
For the six months ending September 2024, HT Media reported consolidated revenue of Rs 90,638 lakhs, marking a 3.9 per cent rise from Rs 87,215 lakhs in the same period last year. Yet, with rising operational expenses—particularly in staffing and other essential areas—the company recorded a net loss of Rs 5,695 lakhs. The quarter’s EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) stood at Rs 3,273 lakhs, although the profit before tax was reported as a loss at Rs 939 lakhs.
The financial report underscores challenges in key segments. HT Media’s print and publishing revenue contributed the lion’s share at Rs 33,420 lakhs, but radio broadcasting and entertainment and digital segments also demonstrated resilience. However, employee benefits climbed to Rs 10,923 lakhs in Q2, a 7.5 per cent increase over Q1, impacting bottom-line growth.
In line with its strategic restructuring, HT Media has sought to cut liabilities, including the partial disposal of investment property and reclassification of assets held for sale. The company’s long-term liabilities fell from Rs 25,303 lakhs in March 2024 to Rs 20,849 lakhs in September 2024, aided by asset sales and targeted debt management.
HT Media reiterated its commitment to recalibrate its portfolio, focusing on emerging revenue streams in digital content and radio. These areas saw significant audience engagement, with digital revenue climbing to Rs 5,551 lakhs, an increase of 18.7 per cent over the previous quarter.
Looking ahead, HT Media remains focused on capturing digital market share, leveraging its audience reach across diverse platforms. Key challenges remain in managing operational costs amid inflationary pressures and aligning revenue generation with sustainable profit margins. With a current liability ratio of 0.85 times, the company plans to optimise cash flow by driving operational efficiencies.
Digital
Ethical AI must benefit society, not dominate it, says WFEB chief Sanjay Pradhan at IAA event
At Mumbai event, ethics expert urges businesses and governments to shape AI responsibly
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be racing ahead at lightning speed, but its direction must still be guided by human conscience. That was the central message delivered by Sanjay Pradhan, president of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), during the latest edition of IAA Conversations held in Mumbai.
The session was organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Artificial Intelligence Association of India (AIAI) in association with The Free Press Journal at the Free Press House on 7 March. Addressing a packed audience, Pradhan called for stronger ethical leadership to ensure AI remains a tool that benefits humanity rather than one that governs it.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies humanity has created,” Pradhan said. “It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.”
But he warned that the same technology carries serious risks. AI, he noted, can amplify disinformation faster than facts can travel, compromise privacy, deepen discrimination and disrupt millions of livelihoods. Referencing concerns raised by AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI, Pradhan stressed that the real challenge is not whether AI will shape the world, but whether humans will shape it with ethics and wisdom.
Structuring his talk around four guiding questions, why, what, how and who, Pradhan introduced the audience to WFEB’s emerging AI Ethics Partnership, a global platform aimed at advancing responsible artificial intelligence. He outlined four priority concerns that demand urgent attention: disinformation, bias and discrimination, data privacy and job security.
To make the idea of ethical AI easier to grasp, Pradhan offered a simple metaphor. Ethical AI, he said, is like a three layered cake. The outer layer represents the visible value ethical AI creates for businesses and society. The middle layer is organisational culture that moves ethics from written codes to everyday practice. The innermost layer, however, is the most crucial, the conscience of individual leaders.
Drawing from Indian philosophical thought through WFEB co-founder Ravi Shankar, Pradhan noted that while artificial intelligence can reproduce stored knowledge, true intelligence is boundless and rooted in conscience, creativity and compassion. Practices such as breathwork and meditation, he suggested, can help leaders develop the calm clarity needed for ethical decision making.
The event also featured a discussion with Maninder Adityaraj Singh, chief of staff and head of innovation at Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Yash Johri, lawyer, Supreme Court of India.
Opening the session, IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani, highlighted the need for industries to understand and engage with AI responsibly.
“AI has to be befriended and understood,” added Rediffusion managing director and AIAI national convenor Sandeep Goyal. “Its ethical use will determine whether it becomes a friend or a foe.”
As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, Pradhan ended with a simple but powerful call to action. Businesses, governments and individuals must work together to ensure that the algorithms shaping the future reflect human values rather than just cold logic.
