Mumbai: Network18 Media & Investments on Tuesday announced its financial results for the quarter ended 30 June, 2022. The company reported that its consolidated revenue from operations rose to Rs 1,340 crore year-on-year, amidst a challenging macro environment. It has witnessed 10 percent growth. During the same period, the company posted a 67.52 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 39.46 crore.

According to a regulatory filing, Network18’s net profit stood at Rs 121.51 crore during the April-June period a year ago. However, its total expenses were Rs 1,349.78 crore, up 24.88 percent from Rs 1,080.79 crore during the same period last year.

Network18's entertainment business revenues grew 13 per cent in Q1 FY23 despite its free-to-air Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) going off DD FreeDish.

Digital News revenue continued to grow at a fast pace, said the report, but added that "TV News revenue was flat YoY despite multiple state elections in the base quarter."

TV18’s news channels established strong positions in key markets with CNBC TV18, CNN News18 ranked #2 and News18 India ranked #1, #2, and #3 (refer: source) in their genres, respectively.

During the quarter, three dedicated sports broadcasting channels were launched by Viacom18- Sports18, Sports18 HD and Sports18 Khel.

On digital media rights for IPL

Viacom18 has acquired the non-exclusive rights to digitally streaming of 18 matches in every season of the Indian Premier League in the Indian sub-continent for the seasons starting from 2023 to 2027.

"After announcing a deal with Bodhi Tree and Reliance, Viacom18 made a giant leap towards building a compelling digital consumer proposition by acquiring the Indian subcontinent exclusive digital rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL)," read the statement.

Highlights for Q1 FY23:

• Viacom18 has acquired the exclusive digital streaming rights of the Indian Premier League for the Indian sub-continent for the next five seasons (2023-2027) for Rs 23,757.5 crore. It also won the rights for three out of five international territories, which include major cricketing nations like South Africa, Australia, and the UK, for Rs 594.5 crore.
• IPL is the highest-reaching sports property in the country and will provide a strong entry point for consumers to come to Viacom18’s digital platform. It will play a pivotal role in helping establish it as India’s leading digital media, entertainment, and sports destination.
• With rights to a slew of diverse sports properties like football (FIFA World Cup, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue1), basketball (NBA), badminton, and tennis already acquired, Viacom18 is building one of the largest sporting destinations in the country, offering a compelling proposition for both core and casual sports fans.
• Viacom18, while continuing to strengthen its broadcasting vertical, is building a digital platform of the future to provide best-in-class products and user experience to the fast-growing Indian digital audience. The platform will utilise a combination of exciting sports action and captivating entertainment content across Hindi and regional languages to build a winning consumer value offering.

  Network18 chairman Adil Zainulbhai said, “First quarter of FY23 has set the tone for the journey that we have undertaken towards making Network18 as India’s leading destination for  content. The big development for us this quarter was the acquisition of exclusive digital rights of  IPL. With strong tailwinds favouring digital consumption, it gives us a perfect opportunity to scale-up  our OTT offering. Coupled with the partnership with Bodhi Tree and Reliance, it will enable our  entertainment business to grow to a multiple of what it is today. We are also working towards  creating a 360 degree news offering with depth and breadth, which not only gives the user seamless experience across platforms, but also optimises for relevance. We are laying down strong foundations on which our businesses can continue to grow for the foreseeable future."
   

Source: BARC, All India, News genre, TG:15+, Wk 23'22 to 26'22

Source: BARC, All India, Non-news genre, TG: 2+, Wk 14'22 to 26'22

Source: BARC, All India, TG: 2+, Wk 23'22 to 26'22