News Broadcasting
HTMT board approves demerger, media biz to be in one entity
MUMBAI: Hinduja TMT Ltd. is demerging its IT/BPO business into a new company, while simultaneously merging its media and content subsidiary InNetwork Entertainment Ltd (INEL) into the residual entity. Both the companies will be listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange.
HTMT’s current shareholders will be allotted shares of both the companies in proportion to the capital employed in the respective businesses. “The appointed date of the demerger would be 1 April,” the company said in a release.
In simple terms, all the existing assets of HTMT barring the IT/BPO business will be in the residual entity. This includes IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) which operates cable TV under the Incablenet brand, a cable Hindi movie channel, and the broadband business. What this means is that a media holding company will emerge after the merger of INEL and it will also have under its umbrella IMCL.
Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that the media business was to be brought under a holding company. The HTMT board, which met today, has granted approval to the demerger.
The telecom holding in Hutch will also reside in the residual entity. HTMT plans to exit from the telecom business by selling its entire stake. It controls an effective stake of 5.11 per cent in Hutch, a leading GSM service provider, through a subsidiary Indusind Telecom Network Ltd. “The company has received offers for purchase thereof which are under consideration. The board has set up a committee of directors to appraise the offers, negotiate and finalise the deal,” HTMT said in a release.
The money raised from the sale will, thus, be in the media company. “The board will decide where to make the investments. The name of the residual entity will also be decided later,” IMCL executive director, corporate services, Ashok Mansukhani said. The valuation of INEL will also be carried out, he added.
Commenting on the demerger, HTMT chairman Ashok P Hinduja said “the related restructuring will unlock immense shareholder value. While the current market cap is about Rs 22.2 billion, the sum of parts valuation is significantly higher, which could get unlocked. It will also go a long way in speeding up inorganic growth opportunities in both the technology and media/telecom companies, apart from aiding the induction of strategic and/or financial partners. Operational efficiencies in both the resultant companies would also increase”.
HTMT’s technology business employs over 7000 persons (with over 3000 overseas employees) and ranks among the few BPO companies with a global delivery model with presence in five countries and significant revenues generated overseas. It has domain expertise in healthcare and insurance, financial services, manufacturing, telecom, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, household products, energy and utilities.
According to a company statement, the media business is well poised to take advantage of the emerging business opportunities in content and distribution that have recently opened up and is in negotiation with several leading players for collaborations and contracts in these spaces. “It would also continue to be the holding company of IMCL, a leading multi-system operator (MSO) with extensive intra-city fiber networks, with 6000 km of trunk and access HEC networks, 80 per cent of which is 2-way enabled. IMCL has a presence in 14 cities (9 of which are big cities) with over 40 per cent market share in most of these markets,” the release added.
HTMT believes the demerger will unlock individual values. “The demerger and related restructuring would enable the full potential of all the diverse businesses to be realized and take the companies to the next level,” said Hinduja.
Added Mansukhani: “The cable business has the potential to be a money-spinner in future.”.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
