Financials
Q2-2016: Zee Media EBIDTA up 9.7 percent
BENGALURU: Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL), the erstwhile Zee News Limited reported a 3.1 percent deline in Total Income from Operations (TIO) to Rs 127.04 crore in the quarter ended September 30, 2015 (Q2-2016, current quarter) as compared to the Rs 131.12 crore in Q2-2015. TIO in the current quarter was 6.1 percent lower than the Rs 135.26 crore in Q1-2016.
Notes: (1) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore
(2) The figures in this report are consolidated figures unless stated otherwise
ZMCL’s EBIDTA however improved 9.7 percent to Rs 6.71 crore in the current quarter as compared to the Rs 6.12 crore in Q2-2015. ZMCL’s EBIDTA in the immediate trailing quarter was higher at Rs 14.76 crore.
ZMCL’s existing television channels returned positive operating results (Positive EBIDTA) of Rs 17.43 crore crore in Q2-2016. Its TV Broadcasting EBIDTA was negatively impacted to the extent of Rs 7.26 crore by its new channels, and hence the TV Broadcast business returned a positive EBIDTA of Rs 10.17 crore. Overall, ZMCL’s EBIDTA was further impacted by a negative EBIDTA of Rs 3.45 crore from its Print Business, hence the company reported the EBIDTA of Rs 6.71 crore mentioned above in Q2-2016.
While the company’s Television Broadcast business revenue grew YoY grew 1.8 percent to Rs 100.30 crore in the current quarter as compared to Rs 98.56 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter, its Print business revenue declined 7.9 percent to Rs 30.02 crore as compared to Rs 32.59 crore. TV Broadcast business revenue in Q1-2016 was higher at Rs 108.64 crore, while Print business revenue was lower at Rs 28.04 crore.
Advertisement and Subscription Revenues
The company’s overall advertising and subscription revenues declined both YoY and QoQ in Q2-2016. ZMCL reported 2.6 percent lower advertising revenue of Rs 90.69 crore (71.4 percent of Total Revenue) in the current quarter as compared to 93.14 crore (71 percent of Total Revenue) in Q2-2015 and was 6.3 percent lower than the Rs 96.75 crore (71.5 percent of Total Revenue).
TV Business advertisement revenue increased 2.1 percent to Rs 72.59 crore in Q2-2016 as compared to the Rs 71.1 crore in Q2-2015, but declined 8.9 percent as compared to the Rs 79.72 crore in the immediate trailing quarter. TV Business Advertisement revenue from existing channels declined 3.9 percent in the current quarter to Rs 65.93 crore as compared to the Rs 68.58 crore in Q2-2015 and declined 11 percent as compared to the Rs 74.05 crore in Q1-2016. Advertisement revenue from new channels more than doubled (went up 2.7 times) to Rs 6.66 crore as compared to the Rs 2.52 crore in Q2-2015 and increased 17.3 percent as compared to the Rs 5.68 crore in Q1-2016.
Overall subscription revenue in the current quarter declined 3 percent to Rs 27.24 crore (21.4 percent of Total Revenue) in Q2-2016 as compared to the Rs 28.07 crore (21.4 percent of Total Revenue) in the corresponding year ago quarter and was 5 percent lower than the Rs 28.67 crore (21.2 percent of Total Revenue) in the immediate trailing quarter.
TV Business YoY subscription revenue declined 0.2 percent in the current quarter to Rs 24.44 crore as compared to the Rs 24.62crore in Q2-2015, and declined 5.4 percent as compared to the Rs 25.84 crore in Q1-2016.
Let us look at the other numbers reported by ZMCL
ZMCL’s Total Expenditure in the current quarter declined 3.4 percent to Rs 133.35 crore as compared to the Rs 138.01 crore in Q2-2015, but increased 0.3 percent as compared to the Rs 133.01 crore in Q1-2016.
Employee Benefits Expense in Q2-2016 declined 7.2 percent to Rs 38.60 crore in Q2-2016 as compared to the Rs 41.60 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter and was 8.3 percent lower than the Rs 42.11 crore in Q1-2016.
Operational Cost in Q2-2016 declined 17.5 percent to Rs 21.14 crore as compared to the Rs 25.62 crore in Q2-2015 but was 1.7 percent higher than the Rs 20.79 crore in Q1-2016.
Marketing, Distribution and Business Promotion Expenses in Q2-2016 increased 66 percent to Rs 24.97 crore as compared to the Rs 15.04 crore in Q2-2015 and was 15.3 percent more than the Rs 21.65 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.
ZMCL’s loss in Q2-2016 increased to Rs 16.98 crore as compared to the loss of Rs 11.53 crore in Q2-2015 and the loss of Rs 7.1 crore in Q1-2016.
Group CEO, News Cluster Bhaskar Das said, “With hardly any content differentiators, news has become commoditized over the years. Fragmentation has also not helped the cause of the genre. However, we at Zee Media have been constantly investing on breaking the clutter and creating path breaking content so that we can distinctly set ourselves apart from the current normal. Our breakthrough experiments in content have borne results.”
Das further added, “Zee News, the pioneer in news broadcasting in India, has turned into viewers’ first choice of late as we continue to make the content meaningful and relevant in the context of the current discourse. The bouquet of ZMCL channels and our newspaper, dna, continue to be one of India’s largest news networks and we leverage our multiple access points to reach both our viewers and advertisers, providing value to every stakeholder at every step.”
Brands
Page Industries posts steady Q3 growth, declares Rs 125 interim dividend
MUMBAI: It’s time to brief the markets: Page Industries is showing that even when regulations tighten, it can still keep its footing in the innerwear business. The Bengaluru-based apparel major has reported its financials for the quarter ended 31 December 2025, delivering a performance that remains steady and well put together.
The company’s top line showed plenty of elasticity this quarter. Revenue from operations stretched to Rs 1,38,675.71 lakhs, a healthy jump from the Rs 1,29,085.82 lakhs reported in the preceding quarter. Compared to the same period last year, which stood at Rs 1,31,305.10 lakhs, it’s clear the brand’s grip on the market isn’t loosening. Total income for the quarter, including other finance gains, reached a comfortable Rs 1,39,919.03 lakhs.
However, it wasn’t all smooth silk. The Government of India’s new unified Labour Codes, covering everything from wages to social security, officially kicked in on 21 November 2025. This regulatory shift forced Page Industries to account for a one-time “exceptional item” cost of Rs 3,500.42 lakhs to cover incremental employee benefits and related obligations. Despite this Rs 35-crore legislative snag, the underlying business remained robust. Profit before tax stood at Rs 25,625.35 lakhs after the exceptional hit, and without that one-off cost, the figure would have been a more muscular Rs 29,125.77 lakhs. Net profit for the quarter came in at Rs 18,953.64 lakhs.
Total expenses rose to Rs 1,10,793.26 lakhs, driven largely by raw material consumption of Rs 30,162.65 lakhs and employee benefits of Rs 23,310.66 lakhs. Even so, the company’s operational strength ensured the bottom line remained firmly stitched together.
For shareholders, the news is particularly “fitting.” The Board has declared a third interim dividend for 2025-26 of Rs 125 per equity share. The record date has been set for 11 February 2026, with the payment scheduled on or before 6 March 2026. This follows two previous interim dividends of Rs 150 and Rs 125 declared earlier in the financial year, reinforcing the company’s commitment to sharing the spoils of its success.
Looking at the nine-month stretch ending December 2025, Page Industries has amassed total income of Rs 4,04,090.59 lakhs, with total comprehensive income of Rs 58,231.49 lakhs. While the basic earnings per share for the quarter dipped slightly to Rs 169.93, compared to Rs 183.48 in the same quarter last year, the year-to-date EPS remains a solid Rs 524.57.
Auditors at S.R. Batliboi & Associates LLP have given the results a “limited review” thumbs up, reporting no material misstatements. It seems that, as far as Page Industries is concerned, the business remains as well-constructed as its famous Jockey briefs.








