Reliance deal impact: Network18 to now ‘step up profitability’
The N18-RIL deal allowed Reliance Industries significant presence in media & enabled N18 to expand into national footprint & become debt free

In line with the predictions of mergers and consolidation within the Indian media and entertainment industry, the Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Limited and Raghav Bahl’s Network18 deal is the biggest so far. The deal reiterated that it is the survival of the fittest, in terms of books, in the Indian media industry.
One of the biggest benefits that Network18 and TV18 have with the deal is the ability to clear the group’s growing debt that had become a cause of concern in the last few months. The net debt of TV18 alone, without Viacom18, up to last quarter of 2011 was Rs 500 crore. The Group now has the chance to work towards profitability.
Raghav Bahl, Founder, Editor & Managing Director, Network18 Group, during an investor conference call, stated, “We don’t need to be in the investment mode now. We may need to balance a few items like variants of existing channels but we are clearly out of the investment mode as far as broadcast is concerned. Our focus entirely now is to step up the profitability of our broadcasting operations. If we put the combined GECs and the news channels of Eenadu without bouquet, our advertising revenue is virtually equal to Zee’s advertising revenue. So in footprint terms, we are already there; just that our distribution revenues are still one third of these and that is what we need to step up on.”
In terms of the next likely steps that the group may take, an analyst, who did not wish to be named said, “We may see another restructuring happening within the Network18 group, where they may want to keep all the news channels in one entity and the Entertainment channels in the other.” He also added that the presence of Reliance Industries may not have a direct impact on other players or dynamics of the industry and the company is not taking control of the operations of Network18 and TV18.
Regional Expansion allows National Footprint
It is a known fact that today larger growth in advertising and viewership is coming from regional areas and most media companies that are eyeing national presence would want to be part of this. With this deal, Network18 gets access to these regional markets that it had been eyeing for long but was financially constrained due to the major diversification it has taken upon itself.
This deal will give TV18 Board and Management control of ETV News Channels (with 100 per cent interest in five new channels) and ETV non Telugu GEC Channels (with 50 per cent interest in five GEC channels). They will also have a 24.50 % interest in ETV Telugu and ETV Telugu News.
B Saikumar, CEO, Network18 Group, said during the investor conference call, “It is a critical phase for us to complete a bouquet, especially from a growth perspective because very clearly local advertising and local viewership is on a far better growth trajectory than national advertising and national viewership. Also if you look at synergies within the group -- be it news or entertainment or factual entertainment -- they can be exploited better with a regional foothold.”
He added, “Potential Eenadu acquisition offers us clutch of pay TV channels, again very importantly already having carriage in DTH, digital cable and analogue cable space and most of them are EBIDTA positive individually and that is a full clutch. This catapults us to the bigger league and makes us better poised to make the best use of digitisation, which all of us are waiting for.”
Adding Distribution Muscle
The deal will also add muscle to the group’s distribution strength. Haresh Chawla, outgoing CEO, Network18 Group and Viacom18, said, “All our peer and competitors enjoy a large premium because of the size and scale of their networks on the distribution front. We having been the youngest network and this allows us to actually add bulk to our network and in a sense cover that legacy gap in a much faster way. We earlier mentioned that it would take about three to four years to cover the legacy gap but that time will probably shrink considerably, once we have these assets and can negotiate as one large bouquet in the new digitised environment.”
Raghav Bahl will now have only 51 per cent control over Network18 and 51 per cent control over TV18 through Network18 and the company maintains that it will continue to have operational and management control of both the companies.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp