News Broadcasting
ETC Network announces break-even; looks to tap foreign markets
ETC Networks Limited has declared a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs24.3 million on a turnover of Rs538.2 million in the financial results for the year ended March 31, 2001.
On the expenditures front, 67.3 per cent went into programming and telecast and cost the network Rs288.1 million. With a paid-up capital of Rs116.99 million, the audited report shows earnings per share (EPS) is Rs2.08.
Into its second year of operations, etc channel has not only consistently retained the top position amongst the music-based channels in viewership rating but also translated this popularity to impressive revenue and profit figures, a company release states.
etc Channel Punjabi, ETC Networks’ regional channel, is also doing extremely well and about to complete a year of operations, the release states. The locking in of the exclusive rights to telecast Gurbani live from Golden Temple at Amritsar has proved a great hit with Punjabi audiences.
Now the channel is poised to tap revenue from international markets, having tied with TV Asia, a leading Hindi channel in the USA while negotiations are also on and in the finalisation stages in UK, Europe and Canada, the release adds.
On the transmission front, the company is very shortly going to convert both the channels to digital services from the current free to air analog service, which the network hopes will cut costs down to about 30 per cent of what exists at present.
And while on transmission, ETC Networks is the first channel to get government clearance to build a commercial teleport in Mumbai. Once the teleport is commissioned it will reduce the operating costs of the channel and also provide additional revenue streams for the company by offering uplink services to other private channels and Internet service providers.
Commenting on the first year result of the company, Jagjit Singh Kohli, managing director of ETC Networks Ltd. says: “We remain committed in our determination to emerge into one of the leading players in the satellite television scenario of the country and maximizing shareholders wealth. We look upon the time ahead with great expectation towards building on the enterprise value, in earning higher growth in advertising and other sources of revenue.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
