Music and Youth
B4U expects operating profits of $ 2 million this fiscal
B4U Television Network, which relaunched B4U Entertainment as B4U Movies on 2 October, expects to achieve operating profits of $ 2 million by the end of this financial year from its worldwide operations, CEO Ravi Gupta said today.
Speaking at a press briefing in Mumbai to celebrate the launch of B4U Movies, Gupta said the company was looking at total revenues of $ 20 million this fiscal, with operating costs at $ 18 million.
Gupta said he was targeting a net profit of $ 4 million after amortisation by March 2003.
Referring to B4U Music, Gupta said that the channel had achieved operational profits in the first year itself.
On the issue of the channel’s encryption, Gupta clarified that it would not be in January 2001 as initially reported to indiantelevision.com. He said he expected B4U Movies to go pay in the second quarter of 2002.
Questioned as to what was the relationship existing between B4U and jailed film financier Bharat Shah, Gupta admitted that a strategic alliance was still in place. He however pointed out that with Shah still in custody, there were a number of issues that were still to be resolved on that front.
B4U Entertainment was launched on 3 September 2000 but failed to make a mark as a Hindi entertainment channel what with the likes of Star, Sony and Zee carving out most of the market share. B4U Movies will not face such problems because it will draw on its main strength – its library of movies (1,000 films in India and overseas rights to 1,600 films), Gupta says.
The B4U Network is promoted by steel magnate L M Mittal, Kishore Lulla and Gokul Binani, all based in the UK. Lulla is also the promoter of Eros International LTD, the largest overseas film distributor and the first to take Hindi movies to the UK and the US.
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
