iWorld
UFO Moviez reports increase in numbers for first quarter
BENGALURU: Indian digital cinema distribution network and in-cinema advertising platform, UFO Moviez Limited (UFO) reported a 24.2 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in advertising revenue for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q1-18, current quarter). The company reported advertising revenue of Rs 493 million in Q1-18 as compared to Rs 39.7 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year (Q1-17). Average advertisement minutes sold per show per screen decreased to 4.65 minutes (Q1-17 – 3.97 minutes) during Q1-18.
The company’s consolidated operating revenues improved by 13.9 percent y-o-y in Q1-18 to Rs 1536.8 million (Q1-17 – Rs 1,349.3 million). EBIDTA increased 10 percent y-o-y in the current quarter to Rs 408.6 million (26.5 percent of Total operating income) as compared to Rs 371.5 million (27.4 percent of Total operating income). Profit for the period almost doubled to Rs 140.2 million (9.1 percent of Total operating income) as compared to Rs 70.8 million (5.2 percent of Total operating income).
Company speak
“We delivered healthy operating and financial performance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018,”said UFO Moviez joint managing director Kapil Agarwal. “Our advertisement revenue grew by 24 percent despite continuing impact of demonetization and roll out of GST. Our hyperlocal advertisement business – UFO Framezcontinued to witnesshealthy traction.Caravan Talkies also witnessed marked improvement during the quarter.”
“Our advertisement network surpassed 4,000 screens with over 1,000 multiplex screens. Our performance continues to reflect the strength of this in-cinema advertising platform,” said founder and managing director Sanjay Gaikwad. “We are also excited about the future of our strategic initiatives – Caravan Talkies and UFO Framez. Going forward, we believe that there is significant headroom for growth and we remain confident that our strategic focus, strong execution and proficient team will continue to drive market leading performance.”
Let us look at the other numbers reported by UFO Moviez
Total Expense in Q1-18 increased 15.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,135.4 million from Rs 982.4 million in Q1-17. Ad revenue share (expense) in Q1-18 increased 24.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 151 million from Rs 120.9 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Visual Print Fees sharing expense in Q1-18 declined 24.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 138.8 million from Rs 183.9 million in Q1-17.
The company’s expense towards purchase of digital cinema equipment and lamps in the current quarter increased 77.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 244.4 million as compared to Rs 137.7 million in Q1-17.
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iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
