NDTV's TV segment reports lower operating loss

NDTV's TV segment reports lower operating loss

Prannoy Roy

BENGALURU: New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) Television segment reported lower loss at Rs 3.94 crore for the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q2-17, current quarter) as compared to the operating loss of Rs 8.41 crore during the corresponding quarter of the previous year (y-o-y). The segment’s consolidated operating loss in the current quarter was just a fraction of the operating loss of Rs 22.83 crore in the immediate trailing quarter (q-o-q).

Overall, the company reported almost flat y-o-y net loss after taxes of Rs 17.22 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 17.19 crore. Loss in the immediate trailing quarter was more than double at Rs 38.36 crore. NDTV attributes the improved performance to improved advertising revenues alongside lower costs in Convergence, NDTV’s digital content subsidiary and E-Commerce segment.

NDTV’s consolidated Total Income from Operations (TIO, revenue) in the current quarter declined 4.9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 123.31 crore from Rs 127.60 crore, but increased 9.3 per cent q-o-q from Rs 112.81 crore.

NDTV had negative EBIDTA (operating loss) of Rs 3.64 crore in Q2-17; negative EBIDTA of Rs 10.91 crore in Q2-16; and negative EBIDTA of Rs 26.78 crore in Q1-17.

Segment numbers

NDTV’s Television Media and related operations (Television) segment reported 3.4 per cent y-o-y decline in revenue in Q2-17 at 121.03 crore as compared to Rs 125.25 crore, but an 8.3 per cent q-o-q increase from Rs Rs 111.78 crore. The segment’s operating loss has been mentioned above.

NDTV’s Retail/eCommerce (eCommerce) segment reported 19 per cent y-o-y decline in revenue at Rs 3.20 crore as compared to Rs 3.95 crore, but a 60 per cent q-o-q increase from Rs 2 crore in Q1-17.

Let us look at the other numbers reported by NDTV

Total Expenditure (TE) in the current quarter declined 9.4 per cent y-o-y to Rs 134.84 crore (109.4 per cent of TIO) from Rs 148.77 crore (116.6 per cent of TIO) and declined 8.3 per cent q-o-q from Rs 147.11 crore (130.4 per cent of TIO) in Q1-17.

NDTV’s consolidated Production Expense (PE) increased 4.4 per cent y-o-y in Q2-17 to Rs 28.62 crore (23.2 per cent of TIO) from Rs 27.41 crore (21.5 per cent of TIO) and increased 1.9 per cent q-o-q from Rs 28.09 crore (24.9 per cent of TIO).

The company’s Marketing, distribution and promotional expense (Marketing expense) in the current quarter reduced 35 per cent y-o-y to Rs 19.67 crore (16 per cent of TIO) from Rs 30.28 crore (23.7 per cent of TIO) and declined 13.3 per cent from 22.69 crore (20.1 per cent of TIO) in Q1-17.

NDTV’s Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in Q2-17 declined 5.1 per cent y-o-y in Q2-17 to Rs 45.19 crore (36.6 per cent of TIO) from Rs 47.63 crore and declined 21.9 per cent from Rs 57.86 crore (51.3 per cent of TIO).

Operating and administration expenses (Admin expenses) in Q2-17 increased 10.5 per cent y-o-y to Rs 34.71 crore (28.1 per cent of TIO) from Rs 31.42 crore (24.6 per cent of TIO) and increased 4.7 per cent q-o-q from Rs 33.14 crore (29.4 per cent of TIO).

Finance Costs in the current year increased 26.8 per cent y-o-y to Rs 6.63 crore (5.4 per cent of TIO) from Rs 5.23 crore (4.1 per cent of TIO) and increasd 56 per cent q-o-q from Rs 4.25 crore (3.8 per cent of TIO).

Note: The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee - Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:

(a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.

(b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.