News Broadcasting
Viacom posts double digit gains in revenues for Q1 2004
MUMBAI: Viacom, which has just released its results for the first quarter of 2004, says its revenues have jumped 12 per cent to a record $6.8 billion from $6.1 billion for the same quarter last year. A 21 per cent gain in overall advertising revenues, totaling $3.2 billion drove the record earnings, says a company release.
First quarter operating income increased 20% to $1.2 billion from $987 million, led by strong growth of 24% in cable networks, 38% in television and 55% in the entertainment segment.
Viacoms bottom line results for the first quarter were equally robust, says the company, with an operating income growth of 20% and, excluding the tax benefit, a gain in net earnings of nearly 30%. The company says it is on track to deliver full year 2004 revenue growth of five to seven per cent, operating income growth of 12 per cent to 14 per cent and earnings per share growth of 13 per cent to 15 per cent.
For the quarter, Viacom’s Cable Networks revenues (which includes MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Spike TV, CMT, Comedy Central, BET and Showtime Networks) increased 21 per cent to $1.4 billion from $1.2 billion and operating income increased 24 per cent to $536 million from $432 million. Comedy Central, which was acquired in May 2003, contributed nine per cent to Cable Networks’ revenue growth and 10 per cent to operating income growth for the quarter, claims the company.
The revenue increases were driven by higher advertising, affiliate fees and ancillary revenues. Cable Networks’ advertising revenues grew 33 per cent led by growth of 35 per cent at MTV Networks and 16 per cent at BET.
The company’s Television (CBS and UPN Television Networks and Stations; Television Production and Syndication) revenues increased 18 per cent to $2.3 billion from $1.9 billion, and operating income increased 38 per cent to $336 million from $243 million. CBS and UPN Networks, says the company, together delivered 26 per cent higher advertising revenues principally driven by the telecast of Super Bowl XXXVIII, the NCAA Mens Basketball Championship and the strength of CBS primetime.
The Stations group advertising revenues increased 14 per cent, benefiting from the major sports events on CBS during the first quarter, higher advertising revenues from key industries (automotive, leisure and media, and transportation) as well as higher political spending.
For the quarter, the company’s radio revenues increased three per cent to $455 million from $444 million and operating income increased five per cent to $199 million from $191 million.
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.
