News Broadcasting
Zee registers 16% net growth in PAT for FY 2002
Subhash Chandra’s Zee Telefilms today announced a revenue growth of 10 per cent, EBITDA growth of 30 per cent and profit after tax growth of 16 per cent for the year ending March 2002.
Zee has reported consolidated net profit of Rs 599.1 million for the fourth quarter ended 31 March, 2002 compared to Rs 307.8 million in the corresponding quarter a year ago. Total income during the January-March quarter rose to Rs 3.24 billion from Rs 3.19 billion in the same quarter a year earlier.
On a standalone basis, the company’s net profit during the three months to 31 March 2002 was Rs 211.30 million compared to Rs 472.90 million in the corresponding quarter last year. Total income during the reporting quarter was Rs 1.26 billion as against Rs 1.36 billion in the corresponding quarter a year earlier.
For the fiscal year ended 31 March, 2002, the company has posted a net profit of Rs 1.04 billion compared to Rs 1.38 billion in the fiscal year ended 31 March, 2001. Total income for the fiscal year 2001/02 was Rs 4.70 billion as against Rs 4.35 billion in 2001.
Zee declared consolidated revenues of Rs 11.409 billion, 10 per cent over FY2001. The increase in revenues it ascribed largely to subscription revenues, which recorded a sharp jump of 65 per cent to Rs 3.369 billion.
AD REVENUES: On the ad revenue front, Zee declared a decline of 7 per cent to Rs 6.402 billion. It’s still far better than what one may have assumed would be the case considering that Zee’s ad revenues are still facing a hard time as its programming, some of which has been appreciated as being of high quality has still to make a major mark on the ratings charts. Referring to its efforts to refurbish the content side of its operations, Zee said that during the quarter, the overall programming cost of the network went up due to write-offs on old inventory.
PAY REVENUES: Zee went pay last year. Zee TV and Zee News, two of the leading channels of the networkwent pay in June 2001. The Joint venture with Turner also became operational during the quarter. As a result, the domestic pay revenues of the network increased to Rs 359 million during the quarter.
The investments in regional pay channels under brand “Alpha” is an important strategic building block for the network, since regional language channels will be a significant growth area in the future, targeting a new, yet complimentary market segment that is currently not being addressed by other major broadcasters, the company says.
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.
