News Broadcasting
TV Today gains 4 per cent as RK Damani ups stake to 6.4 per cent
BENGALURU: He is a quiet and a patient ‘Man with the Midas touch,’ who is touted as Indian stock market whiz Rakesh Jhunjunwalla’s guru. Today, Radhakishan Damani, or RK Damani, increased his stake in TV Today Network Limited with an investment of Rs 25.48 crore for 13 lakh shares of face value of Rs 5 each, to 6.4 per cent from 4.22 per cent. Damani’s average purchase price at that rate works out to Rs 196 per share.
The company’s share closed 4.01 per cent higher at Rs 217.70 from an opening of Rs 210 today on the BSE. The High/Low values of the script for the day were Rs 220.45/208.30. The share had closed at Rs 209.30 yesterday.TV Today’s script saw a turnover of Rs 6.02 crore at a weighted average price of Rs 215.42 per share on the BSE. Its 52 week High/Low on the BSE was Rs259/Rs 96.05.
On the NSE, at close today, the script had gained 3.64 per cent (Rs 7.65) on yesterday’s closing price of Rs 209.95 to close at Rs 217.60 per share. The script opened on the NSE at Rs 210, reached a high of Rs 220.40 and a low of Rs 208.05 during the course of the day. About 9.48 lakh shares valued at Rs 20.4718 crore were traided on the NSE today. The 52 week high of the share was Rs 259.35 on 7 November 2014 and the 52 week low was Rs 95.75 on 30 January 2014 on the NSE.
Earlier, on 27 August 2014 Derive Investments, a fund run by RK Damani and Gopikishan Damani had bought 11.7 lakh shares representing 1.96 per cent stake in TV Today Network for Rs 21 crore. The price of TV Today then rose 6 per cent to Rs 217 on the NSE. Before that, since September 2013, RK Damani had held a 1.5 per cent stake in the TV broadcaster.
TV Today reported a 58.1 per cent y-o-y increase in production costs coupled with a 40.4 per cent increment in employee benefit expense (EBE) and a 36.6 per cent rise in other expense numbers which pared its PAT to register a 2.9 per cent increment in Q2-2015. The company reported a y-o-y growth of 21.8 per cent in its Total Income from Operations (TIO) in Q2-2015 at Rs 111.69 crore versus the Rs 91.71 crore in Q2-2014, but TIO registered a 18.5 per cent decline when compared to the Rs 137.01 crore for Q1-2015. Higher TIO in Q1-2015 can be attributed to the national elections that saw revenues of most news channels rise during the first quarter of FY-2015.
As mentioned above, the company’s PAT at Rs 13.21 crore (11.8 per cent of TIO) was 2.9 per cent more than the Rs 12.83 crore (25 per cent of TIO), but was almost a third (40.3 percent of) the Rs 32.79 (23.9 per cent of TIO) crore in Q1-2015.
News Broadcasting
News18 India launches Command Centre war explainer with Arya
New show shifts from debates to decoding global conflicts and impacts
MUMBAI: News18 India has rolled out a new war-focused programme, Command Centre, featuring Gaurav Arya, as it looks to offer viewers a sharper, more grounded take on global conflicts amid rising tensions in West Asia.
Positioned as an “insider war room”, the show moves away from conventional panel debates and instead focuses on explaining military developments, decoding strategy and connecting global events to their everyday impact, from fuel prices to economic shifts.
The format leans heavily on visuals and data. The studio has been designed like a command hub, complete with large LED war maps, real-time graphics and an alert system to track developments as they unfold.
At the centre of it all is Arya, who brings his military background to simplify complex war strategies for viewers. His signature line, “Seedhi baat samjhiye”, anchors the show’s promise of clarity over noise.
News18 India managing editor Jyoti Kamal said, “Command Centre, featuring Major Gaurav Arya is designed to deliver accurate insights and a clear perspective on how evolving conflicts impact everyday life, from household budgets to national security. With expert voices analysing every development in real time, the show goes beyond headlines to decode what’s happening now, what it means, and what could come next.”
Echoing the intent, Gaurav Arya added, “In times of war, confusion is the biggest threat. With News18 India’s Command Centre, we are bringing viewers inside the war room, decoding strategies, tracking every escalation, and explaining, in the simplest terms, what it means for India and for every household. Seedhi baat samjhiye, this is where you understand not just what is happening, but what happens next.”
The weekday show will air in the afternoon slot and will also feature Gaurav Shukla, adding to its editorial depth.
With its mix of analysis, visuals and a clear focus on impact, the show reflects a broader shift in news consumption. Viewers are no longer just watching events unfold, they are looking to understand what those events mean for them.
