Film Production
Q3-2015: Eros International q-o-q PAT, revenues more than double
BENGALURU: The Sunil Lulla led Indian motion picture production and distribution company Eros International Media Limited (Eros) reported more than double (up 2.18 times) PAT at Rs 109.34 crore (22.3 per cent of net Total Income from Operations or TIO or revenue) versus the Rs 50.14 crore (20.9 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and 18.9 per cent more than the Rs 91.99 crore (21.3 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, PAT grew 23.4 per cent to Rs 195.32 crore (20.1 per cent of TIO) from Rs 158.30 crore (19.3 per cent of TIO) in 9M-2014.
Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore
The company has also reported more than double q-o-q TIO (up 2.05 times) in Q3-2015 at Rs 490.73 crore as compared to the Rs 239.90 crore in the preceding quarter and 13.4 per cent more than the Rs 43.268 crore in Q3-2014. Revenue (TIO) for 9M-2015 grew by 18.5 per cent to Rs 972.12 crore from Rs 820.05 crore in 9M-2014.
Eros released 42 films – 28 Hindi and 14 Tamil/Telugu regional films in 9M-2015 as compared to the 41 films (15 Hindi, 25 Tamil/Telugu and one other regional language film) in 9M-2014. Eros says that five of the films were high budget, seven were medium budget and 30 were low budget films in 9M-2015 as against two high budget, 18 medium budget and 21 low budget films in the corresponding nine month period of the last financial year.
The company informs that of the 12 films released in Q3-2015, three films were high budget while nine were medium and low budget films versus the two high budget films and 13 medium and low budget films in the corresponding year ago quarter.
Let us look at the other numbers reported by Eros for Q3-2015 and 9M-2015
Eros Total Expenditure (TE) in Q3-2015 at Rs 354.34 crore (70.4 per cent of TIO) was also more than double (up 2.05 times) the Rs 168.19 crore (70.1 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter and 15.7 per cent more than the Rs 298.40 crore (69 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014. TE in 9M-2015 at Rs 696.77 crore (71.7 per cent of TIO) was 16.6 per cent more than the Rs 597/64 crore (72.9 per cent of TIO) in 9M-2014.
The company’s finance cost in Q3-2015 at Rs 9.74 crore (two per cent of TIO) was 10.8 per cent lower than the Q2-2015 finance cost of Rs 10.92 crore (4.6 per cent of TIO) but was 31.8 per cent more than Rs 7.39 crore (1.7 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014. For 9M-2015, finance cost at Rs 30.03 crore (3.1 per cent of TIO) was 65 per cent more than the Rs 18.20 crore (2.2 per cent of TIO) in 9M-2014.
Eros managing director Sunil Lulla said, “We are pleased to report robust results, which reflect the success of our strategy to invest in high quality film content and monetize it across existing and emerging revenue streams. In line with our core de-risking approach, we also registered strong pre-sales from our high profile Hindi and Tamil films such as Lingaa, Action Jackson and Kaththi. Our content pipeline has seen some impressive signings and we are excited to announce our entry into the Malayalam market enhancing our regional breadth.”
“ErosNow, our online service showcasing movies, music, music videos and television shows, is developing as a robust offering that carries tremendous potential. Along with improving internet connectivity and forecast of smartphones user base in India expanding to over 650 million (65 crore) in the next four years, we expect the demand for on-the-go entertainment to grow exponentially. We strongly believe ErosNow is well positioned to capitalize on the growing online consumption opportunity in India,” added Lulla.
Film Production
Priyanka Kaur Dhillon joins SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution
A seasoned content dealmaker with 16 years in digital and satellite media joins the Bengali entertainment powerhouse as it pushes into the pan-India music market
Mumbai: Priyanka Kaur Dhillon has made her move. The content acquisitions and commercials veteran, most recently commercial manager at Sony Pictures Networks India, has joined SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution, stepping into one of the more interesting briefs in regional entertainment right now.
SVF is no ordinary regional label. Over 30 years it has built a formidable legacy in Bengali cinema and music, driven by culturally resonant storytelling and a catalogue that consistently punches above its weight. Its recent success with Chiraiya underlines the point. But the Kolkata-based powerhouse now has its sights firmly set beyond Bengal, most visibly through Legacy, a rap reality series produced in collaboration with hip-hop label Kalamkaar that signals a deliberate push into the pan-India music ecosystem.
Dhillon brings precisely the kind of muscle SVF needs for that expansion. At Sony Pictures Networks India, she led film acquisition and commercials and handled music licensing across the entire satellite network. Before that, she spent nearly 15 years at Hungama, rising to assistant general manager and leading strategic content licensing for the platform’s digital entertainment business, with a particular focus on international markets. Her label relationships span the full roster: Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, Believe International, Tunecore, The Orchard and a clutch of smaller aggregators. She has negotiated and closed deals with Hollywood studios, Bollywood production houses and regional content players alike, building pricing models and deal structures off data analysis rather than instinct.
Announcing the appointment, Dhillon said she was “thrilled to begin this journey with an iconic Bengali music label and content powerhouse,” adding that SVF’s “constant drive to push boundaries” was what drew her to the role.
SVF has spent three decades proving that regional does not mean limited. With a sharp commercial operator now steering its music distribution, its bid to go national just got a good deal more serious.
