MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) has appointed Simmi Karna as the business head for its television content production arm Big Productions.

In her new role, she will be responsible for creation and marketing of shows designed both for regional and Hindi GEC. She will also be responsible for the P&L (profit and loss) of Big Productions.

Karna will report to RBNL CEO Tarun Katial.

Her last stint was with Balaji Telefilms as chief revenue officer. 

On her appointment Katial said, ?Simmi?s vast experience across a variety of genres with her erudite stamp on programming makes her an asset to the organisation. Her ability to ideate and conceptualise basis audience preferences, while ensuring in line with clients? briefs is her strength which will work excellently when coupled with her people management skills to lead the business into its next level of growth.?

On her new role Karna added, ?The television industry is geared for exploratory programs and these are really exciting times for TV in India. RBNL has some great properties for television and I look forward to a challenging and exciting career in television production.?

Over the last 15 years, Karna has worked across television brands like Zee, Channel V and IMG, as a writer and creative director across genres of fiction, non-fiction, sports and fashion.

MUMBAI: The television broadcasting business of Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL), which houses four channels under the Big CBS JV and Big Magic, posted an operating loss of Rs 186.29 million for the three-month period ended 31 December.

In the year-ago period, the company had reported a loss of Rs 3.25 million under this segment. However, in the trailing quarter, the company had posted a segment loss of Rs 216 million.

The revenue from the TV segment was at Rs 59.30 million. The company has not posted the revenue figures for the earlier year for this segment. In the second quarter of the fiscal, it had reported a revenue of Rs 26 million.

RBNL employed Rs 785.99 million (segment asset less segment liabilities) towards the TV segment during the fiscal third-quarter.

Meanwhile, Big FM, the FM radio brand of the company, has reported operating profit for the fourth straight quarter, while all other businesses of the company are bleeding.

The radio broadcasting business? Ebit stood at Rs 44.15 million for the three-month period ended 31 December, up from Rs 22.12 million in the corresponding quarter of the earlier year. In the trailing quarter, the operating profit, however, was higher at Rs 120.33 million.

Big FM?s revenue stayed flat at Rs 480.69 million compared to Rs 483.89 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. In the trailing quarter, it was Rs 571.01 million.

Total capital deployed on the radio broadcasting segment stood at Rs 2.41 billion as of 31 December 2011.

RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, ?Our radio and television businesses will gain from industry reforms like Phase III of radio and DAS - cable digitisation which will increase reach and addressability, while improving margins. We look forward to innovate and deliver exciting content across all our platforms to both consumers and advertisers alike.?

On a consolidated basis, RBNL?s net loss widened to Rs 287.39 million from Rs 45.86 million a year ago. In the trailing quarter, the net loss was at Rs 244.47 million.

Total income of the company jumped 18.88 per cent to Rs 821.35 million compared to Rs 690.92 million a year ago. However, expenses jumped 46.28 per cent to Rs 1.07 billion (from Rs 729.87 million).
Among the other segments, the outdoor business posted an operating loss of Rs 62.09 million, up from Rs 37.05 million in the year-ago period. Income from the segment was at Rs 101.04 million (from Rs 60.51 million).

Experiential marketing segment loss stood at Rs 25.53 million, up from Rs 14.20 million. Income from the segment fell to Rs 86.55 million, from Rs 126.59 million.

TV production business posted operating profit of Rs 0.15 million on an income of Rs 118.16 million.

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) will be launching a show simultaneously on its FM radio and television channels, the first time that this has happened in India.

Titled ?Hasya Panchayat?, the special show with Hindi poet and humourist Surender Sharma will be broadcast on Big FM and Big Magic simultaneously.

The television series will first premiere on Big Magic from 13 February. The radio broadcast will start sometime around Holi festival, from which date it will be simultaneously broadcast on the TV channel as well.

The hasyakavi, popularly known as Sharmaji, will feature daily across 92.7 Big FM stations in Hindi speaking regions for an hour.

The comic artist will feature simultaneously on Big Magic?s daily show titled ?Hasya Panchayat? in a special segment, where he will present viewers with his hilarious take on different topics. People from the Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand will also get to watch shorter capsules featuring Sharmaji?s celebrated one-liners.

A company spokesperson said, "Few things in life can compare to the joy one gets in making someone laugh. We?re proud to bring a much-loved persona like Surender Sharma into the lives of our consumers and trust his wittiness will give us many reasons to laugh. This double treat on 92.7 Big FM and Big Magic will ensure people never miss out on the King of Kavi?s rib tickling humour."

The time slot of the show on both platforms is yet to be decided.

MUMBAI: Big CBS Love, the English entertainment television channel from RBNL that targets urban women, will bring ace supermodel Tyra Banks with the 17th season of America?s Next Top Model - America?s Next Top Model: All-Stars.

The show kicks off on 9 January and will air from Monday to Friday at 10 pm.

?America?s Next Top Model? is a reality show that chronicles the transformation of everyday young women into potentially fierce supermodels. Cameras catch each candid moment as participants face weekly tasks that determine who makes the cut.

Participants demonstrate both inner and outer beauty as they master complicated catwalks, rigorous photo shoots and publicity skills.

The season features 14 returning models that are from previous cycles. The winner of this cycle will receive a campaign with the Express fashion brand, a chance to be a guest correspondent on the hit newsmagazine ?Extra,? a fashion spread in Vogue Italia, the cover of and a spread in Beauty in Vogue, a blog on Vogue.it and a $100,000 contract with Cover Girl cosmetics.

The judging panel once again consists of executive producer and talk show host, supermodel Tyra Banks, author, filmmaker and fashion photographer Nigel Barker and former American editor-at-large for Vogue magazine Andr? Leon Talley.

This season will witness models from the past coming back to seek their moment of glory.

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL), the Reliance ADAG?s multi-media entertainment company with businesses across radio, television, intellectual properties, out of home and television production, has appointed Madhukar Pandey as business head for its Central India Cluster covering UP, MP, Bihar and Jharkhand.

This cluster would include RBNL?s variety entertainment channel Big Magic and Big FM?s network of 11 stations in the cluster.

Pandey will report to RBNL EVP marketing and Big Magic Anand Chakravarthy.

In his new role Pandey will be responsible for the overall functioning of the businesses in the Central India region, in functions that would range marketing and sales, managing the P&L and overseeing the product development and implementation of plans in the region.

"We are pleased to have someone who brings a hands-on approach to running a business as well as creativity, on board RBNL. Madhukar will lead Big Magic and Big FM?s operations in the highly competitive and growing central Indian market. With his unique depth of experience in the region, I am sure he will contribute enormously to help take the company to greater heights," Chakravarthy said.

Pandey added, "The values and winning culture of RBNL are truly motivating and I am sure this new journey is going to be very fulfilling. I look forward to capitalise on the many opportunities that lie ahead and set new benchmarks in this challenging role."

Prior to joining RBNL, Pandey was with MetLife Insurance serving as GM regional head.

He comes with over 14 years of experience in areas such as life insurance and information technology. He started his career in the area of IT education and served organisations such as NIIT, CMC, and Informatics in various capacities.

Later, he made a transition into the life insurance space and spent over seven years working with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, HDFC Standard Life and MetLife Insurance.

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL), the holding company of Reliance ADAG?s FM radio and broadcasting businesses, is once again looking to raise up to Rs 4 billion and is in talks with various private equity firms.

Talking to Indiantelevision.com, RBNL chief financial officer Asheesh Chatterjee said: "We are planning to raise up to Rs 3-4 billion this fiscal to fund expansion in radio and TV broadcasting businesses. We have appointed Yes Bank as one of our investment bankers and are in talks with private equity players."

RBNL?s debt stands at Rs 1.2 billion. "We will repay the debt completely after raising the funds," Chatterjee said.

In September 2010, the company had raised Rs 2.83 billion via preferential allotment of 33.32 million equity shares at a price of Rs 85 per share. The promoters had pumped in Rs 1.73 billion at that time, subscribing to 20.37 million shares. The remaining amount came from the investors.

The company had used Rs 2 billion out of that to partly repay debt while the remaining was spent on launching channels, said Chatterjee.

In the fresh fund-raising activity, the company is open to all instruments such as private equity, QIP and strategic investment. The equity of the company will be expanded and the promoters are not going to offload any stake, Chatterjee averred.

The promoter holding stands at 63.87 per cent, according to data provided by the company till 30 June 2011.

Apart from repayment of debt, the company needs funds to participate in the FM phase III auction. "Phase III will need growth capital and we will be very serious contenders at the auctions," Chatterjee said.

Shares of RBNL rose 3.3 per cent to close Monday at Rs 78.15 on the BSE.