BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited (DB Corp), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported improved results in Q1-2015, both in terms of total income from operations (Tot Inc) and PAT. The company reported Tot Inc of Rs 489.2 crore which was 7.7 per cent more than the Rs 454.17 crore in the immediate trailing quarter Q4-2014 and 8.9 per cent more than the year ago Op Inc of Rs 449.41 crore in Q1-2014.
The company’s PAT in Q1-2015 at Rs 79.12 crore (16.2 per cent of Tot Inc) was 4.3 per cent more than the Rs 79.92 crore (16.7 per cent of Tot Rev) in Q4-2014 and 4 per cent more than the Rs 76.1 crore (16.9 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q1-2014.
Note: (1) Rs 100 lakh = Rs100,00,000 = Rs 1 crore = Rs 10 million. (2) The figures mentioned in this report or on a consolidated basis.
DB Corp’s Radio Business segment, with 17 stations across seven states of India under the Brand Name – MYFM reported 3 per cent lower operating revenue (Op Rev) of Rs 20.73 crore (4.2 per cent of Tot Inc) as compared to the Rs 21.37 crore (5 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q4-2014 and 20.8 per cent more than the Rs 17.16 crore (3.8 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q1-2014. The segment reported 26.8 per cent lower positive result at Rs 5.27 crore in Q1-2015 as compared to the Rs 7.19 crore in Q4-2014, but was more than double (2.17 times) the Rs 2.32 crore in Q1-2014.
Let us look at the other results reported by DB Corp for Q1-2015:
DB Corp’s total expenditure in Q1-2015 at Rs 374.99 crore was 2.4 per cent more than the Rs 366.02 crore in Q4-2014 and 12.8 per cent more than the Rs 332.34 crore in Q1-2014. The company’s raw material consumption in Q1-2015 at Rs 165.88 crore was 3.8 per cent less than the Rs 166.59 crore in Q4-2014 and 15.5 per cent more than the Rs 143.59 crore in Q1-2014.
DB Corp reports revenues from five segment: Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals segment; Radio business; events; internet and power.
The company’s Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals segment reported revenue of Rs 461.07crore (94.3 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q1-2015, which was 7.7 per cent more than the Rs 428.21 crore (94.3 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q4-2014 and 7.4 per cent more than the Rs 429.15 crore (95.5 per cent of Tot Inc) in Q1-2014.
The company’s radio segment details have been mentioned above. The results of the other three segments are quite small as compared to the contributions to overall revenue by DB Corp’s Printing and Publishing of Newspaper and Periodicals and Radio Business segments. The event segment has shown a 24.8 per cent q-o-q growth to Rs 1.4 crore in Q1-2015 in terms of operating revenue, while its internet business in Q1-2015 has grown by 36.7 per cent to Rs 5.89 crore as compared to Q4-2014. All the three segments reported negative operating results that slightly eroded profits generated by the other two segments.
DB Corp Managing Director Sudhir Agarwal said, “We are happy to report a sound performance to start our fiscal year that reflects that we have sustained our growth momentum. We have maintained our strengths and leadership position in all our legacy markets as we also continue to demonstrate good growth in our emerging editions. Having already demonstrated operational excellence in the print business, we have also maintained a similar focus and emphasis on DBCL’s non-print segments spanning our digital and radio initiatives. Both these segments hold tremendous potential to capitalise on over the next few years, given India’s still nascent exposure to internet penetration and yet one of the largest and fastest growing digital markets.
We have successfully leveraged our strengths in the print medium to deliver robust growth in the digital and radio businesses also and are in the process of achieving greater scale as well as being well placed to take advantage of future growth opportunities. On an overall basis, we have continued to capitalise on organisational efficiencies, expense management and maintained a strong momentum across print and non-print segments, supported by innovative brand development endeavours and a reader-centric approach that continues to drive growth.
The macro-economic environment centered on a stable government reflects positive sentiments that are expected to translate into better GDP numbers. The current environment demands an agile operating model that can capture diverse growth opportunities. We are confident of our operating strengths and continue to execute to plan and invest for growth, while maintaining stability in our profitability outlook.”
