MAM
Television looks ‘Outdoors’
There’s no escaping now, everywhere you go it follows, across buses, trains, kiosks and more. Striving to use every possible object within its reach to grab eyeballs. Such is the impact of outdoor advertising!
It is estimated that currently, the outdoor space availability in metros is ‘zero.’ With festivity around the corner, television channels are beefing up their programming and the most opportunistic way to utilize advertising appears to be via this medium.
The outdoor business is estimated to be growing at 20 per cent and the size of the organized industry alone has been pegged at Rs 11 – 12 billion by industry experts. These figures are proof that advertisers’ dependence on outdoor has significantly increased.
The biggest players this year among television channels are the ususal suspects Sony, Star and Zee. The average spends among these channels is estimated to be close to Rs 700 – 800 million annually on outdoor advertising. 30 per cent of these spends are dedicated to the festive rush spanning September – December, says Star Sight CEO Sanjay Shah.
Bright director Yogesh Lakhani opines that spends usually go up by 15 – 20 per cent during the festive period. Jhalak Dikhla Ja got the ball rolling for Sony but now Kaajal and Extraaa Innings from the same stable are straddling Mumbai city. It is believed that more than 50 per cent of Sony’s spends in launching properties is dedicated to out of home.
Star has followed suit with its three big launches Antariksh and yet to be launched Paraya Dhan and Sathi Re. Naach Baliye was also given this life-size value during its launch period.
 In pictures: Different mediums used in Outdoor |
Zee went all the way with Betiyann and is planning to use outdoor to build the buzz for the Sa Re Ga Ma finale on 28 October, as well as the newly launched youth block Klub. Zee alone is estimated to spend about 15 to 20 million on each property.
In addition to these big players, other contenders currently in the outdoor space include Disney Channel with its latest local offering Vicky Aur Vetaal and Tata Sky’s DTH platform battling it out with Dish TV. Primesite head GM West Aneil Deepak remarks that channels usually adopt a dual strategy, whereby 30 – 40 per cent of their spends go to permanent sites on an annualized basis, however in promoting certain properties they will increase their spends depending upon its significance.
Outdoor is consistently used by channels as it not only acts as a reminder medium but it also gets people to sample a new show. Ogilvy Activation country head – Landscapes and Signscapes Nabendu Bhattacharyya opines, “Outdoor builds quick awareness and is the most cost efficient option. It is beneficial because it can be city specific and have a customized plan by which campaigns can run from 7 days to months.”
Though the outdoor industry falls short of a common currency measure, individual specialists with the likes of Star, Sony Entertainment, Zee TV, Times Now and Sahara that use outdoor all the year round, have their own proprietary tools to derive accountability from the medium.
Besides TV, the biggest spender this year are from the Telecom sector says Aaren Initiative president Vivek Lakhwara. Reliance and Airtel have a pan Indian presence, adds Shah. “Normal medium vacancy level of 20 per cent during the year becomes zero during September to December as brands like telecom, finance, press, automobiles, radio are also fighting to grab the available spots,” says Bhattacharyya.
Going beyond billboards and bus shelters out of home as a category is fast expanding into areas like retail and entertainment. With emerging technology like LED screens, interactive facia at malls, backlit air blimps and large building wraps, Bhattacharyya forsees, “Airport advertising will take on a much greater significance with clients. Technology driven platforms like bluecasting will see the emergence of different options available to advertisers which will add to the array of the outdoor armament.”
The future is bright! On a rather optimistic note, Bhattacharyya predicts that this year will prove to be a watershed year for the outdoor advertising industry. “The area of consolidation both from a buyer and the concessionaire’s perspective, is around the corner. It has happened the world over and India will prove to be no different. The outdoor specialists will control about 75 to 80 per cent of the entire outdoor market in India in two years time and consolidation amongst them will also happen very quickly. Alliances and mergers will take place, media groups will broaden their services, bandwidth will be built in order to deliver efficiencies and scale, and the big buyers will only get bigger.”
He also sees foreign investors and large media groups waiting for an opportunity to lunge into the Indian market. He says, “The big daddies like Viacom, Clear Channel and Decaux know it’s a profitable business to get into. They are just hoping and crossing their fingers that tighter legislation and better regularities come into play, for them to invest long term in India.”
Of course, one such biggie has already made a quiet landing on Indian shores. News Outdoor India (NOI), the local arm of News Corp’s OOH subsidiary News Outdoor Group (NOG) and headed by a former senior executive of Star India Sumantra ‘Sumo’ Dutta, has been operating in the country for the last six months.
Brands
Eternal posts Rs 54,364 crore revenue, up 168 per cent in FY26
Q4 profit rises to Rs 174 crore as firm streamlines District business
NEW DELHI: Eternal Limited reported a sharp surge in scale for FY26, with consolidated revenue rising 168 per cent year-on-year to Rs 54,364 crore, underscoring strong growth across its core businesses.
The company’s growth was mirrored in its bottom line, with a total annual profit of Rs 366 crore. The fourth quarter was particularly strong, contributing Rs 17,292 crore in revenue and Rs 174 crore in profit, a sharp rise compared to the Rs 39 crore profit recorded in the same period last year.
Key financial metrics from the report include:
- Total assets: Increased to Rs 40,736 crore from last year’s Rs 35,623 crore.
- Delivery charges: The company collected Rs 9,065 crore in delivery and related charges over the year.
- Employee costs: Staffing and benefit expenses amounted to Rs 3,536 crore.
- Liquidity: The firm maintains a cash balance of Rs 996 crore, supported by Rs 632 crore generated from operating activities.
On the strategic front, the company has approved the transfer of its District platform’s technology stack to its wholly owned subsidiary, Wasteland Entertainment Private Limited. The deal, valued at Rs 24.19 crore, will be completed in cash and is expected to close by May 1, 2026, along with the transition of select employees. The move is aimed at consolidating its entertainment and ticketing operations under a focused entity.
From a regulatory standpoint, statutory auditors Deloitte Haskins & Sells issued an unmodified opinion on the financial results. However, they flagged an ongoing show cause notice related to GST on delivery charges, which the company continues to contest, citing a strong legal position.
With robust revenue growth and ongoing structural tweaks, Eternal is clearly sharpening its playbook as it expands beyond its core into a broader consumer services ecosystem.
