BENGALURU: Note: The profit/loss figures mentioned collectively or for each segment in this report are profits before tax and interest (PBIT), unless stated otherwise.
Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) radio business which first returned a profit in Q3-2013 of Rs 3.36 crore, followed by a profit of Rs 8.06 crore in Q4-2013 continued its profitable run with positive figures of Rs 8.71 crore for Q1-2014.
On a consolidated basis, RBNL reported a loss of Rs 15.76 crore for Q1-2014, about 55 per cent of the loss of Rs 28.705 crore loss during Q1-2013 and about 65.25 per cent of the Rs 24.154 crore loss reported for Q4-2013. RBNL reported a loss of Rs 91.73 crore for FY-2013.
RBNL CFO Asheesh Chatterjee informed www.indiantelevision.com, "RBNL achieved cash break-even at consolidated level and remains PAT positive at standalone basis in Q1-2014.
Radio business reported 31 per cent y-o-y growth in revenue and EBITDA of Rs 17.4 crore. TV business sustained leadership reporting 37 per cent y-o-y revenue growth."
Overall
Q1-2014 consolidated total income of Rs 61.1 crore; increase of 26 per cent y-o-y
Q1-2014 consolidated EBITDA at Rs 0.9 crore - achieves break even.
Q1-2014 consolidated EBIT was Rs (9.8 crore)
Q1-2014 standalone total income of Rs 58.5 crore; increase of 18 per cent y-o-y
Q1-2014 standalone EBITDA at Rs 19 crore; increase of 382 per cent y-o-y.
Q1-2014 standalone EBIT at Rs 8.8 crore; increase of 264 per cent y-o-y
Q1-2014 standalone PAT at Rs 2.1 crore; increase of 112 per cent y-o-y.
Let us look at RBNL's figures from various segments in Q1-2014
Radio
Revenue from radio contributed a major chunk - Rs 47.27 crore or about 73.26 per cent of RBNL's total revenue of Rs 64.53 crore and 76 per cent of Income from operations at Rs 62.19 crore during Q4-2014.
Revenue from radio in Q1-2014 at Rs 47.27 crore grew 31.3 per cent as compared to the Rs 36.01 crore for Q1-2013 and grew 2.6 per cent as compared to the revenue of Rs 46.09 crore for Q4-2013.
Q1-2014 radio standalone EBITDA at Rs 17.4 crore as against EBITDA of Rs 7.8 crore in Q1-2013; increase of 122 per cent y-o-y
Q1-2014 radio standalone EBIT at Rs 8.7 crore as against EBIT of Rs (-1.0) crore in Q1-2013.
TV Production
TV Production, with a standalone revenue of Rs 5.90 crore, contributed 9.5 per cent to Income from operations during Q4-2014. Revenue from production in Q1-2014 grew by 11.8 per cent as compared to the revenue of Rs 5.28 crore in Q1-2013 and 29.24 per cent as compared to the revenue of Rs 4.57 crore in Q4-2013. Production suffered a loss in Q4-2014 of Rs 0.423 crore as compared to a profit of Rs 0.1059 crore in Q1-2013, but 16.11 per cent lower than the loss of Rs 0.504 crore reported for Q4-2013.
Standalone EBDITA for Q1-2014 from this segment was Rs (-0.3) crore in Q1-2014 as compared to the EBDITA of Rs0.2 crore in Q1-2013 and Rs (-0.3) crore in Q4-2014.
OOH
Revenue from outdoor at Rs 1.995 crore in Q1-2014 was almost one third (34.5 per cent) of the revenue of Rs 5.99 crore in Q1-2013 and just 30.6 per cent of the Rs 6.303 crore in Q4-2013. Loss from this revenue segment in Q1-2014 was significantly lower (by 12.4 times) at Rs 0.1758 crore as compared to the loss of Rs 2.182 crore in Q1-2013. Outdoor returned a profit of Rs 0.1407 crore for Q4-2013.
Standalone EBITDA from this segment was a positive Rs 1.2 crore during Q1-2014 as compared to a loss of Rs 1.8 crore in Q1-2013 and Rs 0.7 crore during Q4-2013
Televison.
Consolidated revenue of Rs 8.44 crore from television contributed 13.6 per cent of total revenue for Q1-2014. Revenue from this segment grew at 36.9 per ecent as compared to the Rs 6.16 crore reported for Q1-2013 and just half a per cent as compared to the Rs 8.39 crore for Q4-2013. Consolidated loss from television in Q1-2014 at Rs 18.06 crore was 54.4 per cent higher than the loss of 11.69 crore for Q1-2013, but was significantly lower by 32 per cent as compared to the Rs 26.54 crore loss for Q4-2013.
RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, "Reliance Broadcast Network has delivered a robust performance, breaking even at the operating level. Radio has delivered the highest ever Q1 performance, fortifying its position as the leading national network and both key businesses of radio and television are primed to benefit from government reforms."
RBNL says that its flagship general entertainment channel Big Magic which emerged a leader in the Hindi heartland, has steadily expanded distribution across the Hindi speaking markets of India, benefiting from phase II of television digitisation. Its ays that TRAI's mandate to regulate advertisement inventory to 10 minutes per clock hour will translate into more equitable distribution of advertisement inventory across channels, resulting in increased advertisement flow to both radio and emerging channels like Big Magic, Big CBS and Big RTL Thrill.
