Q1-2015: HT Media reports flat results and pared profits

Q1-2015: HT Media reports flat results and pared profits

BENGALURU: HT Media (HT Media) reported almost flat revenue in Q1 2015 at Rs 540.51 crore, just 1 per cent more y-o-y than the Rs 540.93 crore in Q1 2014 and 0.5 per cent more than revenue of Rs 543.84 crore in Q4 2014.

 

Note: (1) Rs 100 lakh = Rs100,00,000 = Rs 1 crore = Rs 10 million.

 

(2) All figures in this report are consolidated figures filed by the company, except for Advertising & Sales Promotion (ASP), which are the standalone figures filed by HT Media.

 

The company’s Q1 2015 PAT fell 6.2 per cent q-o-q to Rs 32.67 crore as compared to the Rs 34.84 crore in Q4 2014 and was 36.7 per cent less than the Rs 51.58 crore in Q1 2014. Q-o-q PAT was affected by higher employee benefits, higher other expense, higher depreciation and amortisation (depreciation) and higher loss from its digital and unallocated segment and lower operating results from its printing segment.

 

HT Media’s radio segment, which contributed just 4.4 per cent to the total revenue in Q1 2015, saw a rise of 4.8 per cent in operating revenue to Rs 23.97 crore as compared to the Rs 22.88 crore in Q4 2014 and a rise of 12 per cent as compared to the Rs 21.41 crore in Q1 2014. The radio segment’s operating result dipped 5 per cent in Q1 2015 to Rs 4.57 crore as compared to the Rs 4.81 crore in Q4 2014 and was 24.5 per cent more than the Rs 3.67 crore in Q1 2014. The company operates four radio stations in the country under the brand Fever 104 FM.

 

HT Media’s printing segment which contributes to more than 90 per cent of its top line and bottom line saw an increase of 1.2 per cent in its revenue to Rs 501.54 crore in Q1 2015 from Rs 495.65 crore in Q4 2014 and was 0.6 per cent less than the Rs 505.58 crore in Q1 2014. The segment reported a 17.3 per cent drop in operating results to Rs 64.55 crore in Q1 2015 from Rs 78.04 crore in Q4 2014 and a 20.8 per cent fall as compared to the Rs 81.46 crore in Q1 2014.

 

HT Media’s digital segment operating revenue grew 8.7 per cent in Q1 2015 to Rs 23.72 crore from Rs 21.82 crore in Q4 2014 and was 39.1 per cent more than the Rs 17.05 crore in Q1 2014. The segment’s operating loss widened from Rs 7.58 crore in the last quarter to Rs 12.19 crore in Q1 2015.

 

Loss from the unallocated segment also grew in Q1 2015 to Rs 22.28 crore from Rs 21.49 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

 

HT Media’s employee benefit expense in Q1 2015 was Rs 125.16 crore, in Q4-2014 it was Rs 105.76 crore and in Q1 2014, it was Rs 105.52 crore. Depreciation figures were Rs 27.34 crore in Q1 2015; Rs 21.61 crore in Q4 2014 and Rs 21.86 crore in Q1 2014.

 

The company’s advertisement and sales promotion expense (standalone basis) in Q1 2015 at Rs 25.85 crore was 1.1 per cent more than the Rs 25.26 crore in Q4 2014.