Network18 Media And Investments Q4 2024 Highlights :
- Viacom18, Reliance, and The Walt Disney Company have announced the signing of binding agreements to establish a joint venture that merges the businesses of Viacom18 and Star India. This collaboration aims to provide consumers with high-quality and comprehensive content offerings through innovative digital entertainment experiences.
- In terms of financial performance, consolidated revenue for the quarter saw a significant 63% year-on-year increase, amounting to Rs. 2,419 crore. This growth was primarily driven by the Sports and Movie segments. Additionally, annual revenue also witnessed a substantial ~50% rise, reaching Rs. 9,297 crore.
- JioCinema continued its rapid growth trajectory, solidifying its position as the fastest-growing digital platform in the country. The second season of IPL on JioCinema experienced over 50% growth compared to the previous year.
- Viacom18’s Colors achieved its highest market share in 12 years, while the Entertainment Network share increased by 60 basis points quarter-on-quarter to 11.4%.
- The TV News network maintained its leadership position in key markets and achieved industry-leading revenue growth. It secured an all-India viewership share of 10.9%.
- Significant strides were made in scaling up the Digital News business, with Monyecontrol transitioning towards becoming a transaction-based platform. Firspost demonstrated strong consumer-pull and revenue traction, while Local18 expanded its presence to nearly 300 districts.
- The digital news portfolio strengthened its position as the second-largest player in the market and narrowed the reach gap with the leader to less than 15%, compared to over 50% at the end of the previous fiscal year. Moneycontrol emerged as the top platform in India with over 7.5 lakh paid subscribers, three times more engaged compared to its closest competitor.
Key highlights of Viacom18 to merge with Star India :
- Viacom18, Reliance, and The Walt Disney Company have announced the signing of binding agreements to establish a joint venture, merging the businesses of Viacom18 and Star India. This merger will be facilitated through a court-approved scheme of arrangement, with Viacom18’s media undertaking merging into Star India Private Limited.
- The joint venture (JV) will emerge as a leading TV and digital streaming platform for entertainment and sports content in India. It will bring together iconic media assets across entertainment, including Colors, Star Plus, and Star Gold, as well as sports, such as Star Sports and Sports18. Through platforms like JioCinema and Hotstar, the JV will provide access to highly anticipated events across television and digital platforms. With a combined viewership of over 750 million in India and catering to the Indian diaspora globally, the JV aims to offer high-quality and comprehensive content offerings.
- The JV endeavors to lead the digital transformation of the media and entertainment industry in India. By integrating Disney’s acclaimed films and shows, including exclusive rights to distribute Disney films in India and licensing over 30,000 Disney content assets, with Viacom18’s renowned productions and sports offerings, the JV aims to deliver a compelling digital-focused entertainment experience to audiences in India and globally.
- Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) will invest ₹11,500 crore in the JV at the time of closing to support its growth strategy. The transaction values the JV at ₹70,352 crore on a post-money basis, excluding synergies. Following the completion of these steps, RIL will control the JV, owning 16.34%, while Viacom18 and Disney will hold 46.82% and 36.84% respectively.
TV18 Q4 2024 Operating Highlights :
- TV18 maintained its position as the highest-reaching TV news network in India, with a weekly reach of approximately 175 million people across the country. It garnered a viewership share of 10.9%. Notably, TV18 retained its leadership in key markets, with CNBC TV18 maintaining its status as the top business channel for over two decades, commanding a viewership share of over 64.3%. Similarly, News18 India remained the leading Hindi news channel during evening primetime with a viewership share of 14.0%, while CNN News18 held its position as the top English news channel for over two years, with a viewership share of 33.3%.
- TV18 also dominated in four regional markets: UP/Uttarakhand, Bihar/Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Jammu/Kashmir/Ladakh/Himachal. In West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Punjab/Haryana, its channels secured strong second positions. Notably, News18 Bangla showed significant improvement in ranking during the year, while News18 Lokmat firmly established itself as a strong third player.
- Network18’s digital portfolio emerged as the second-largest digital news/information publisher in India, attracting over 180 million unique visitors every month. It narrowed the reach gap with the market leader to just 14%, compared to over 50% at the end of the previous fiscal year.
Moneycontrol Q4 2024 Operating Highlights :
- Moneycontrol maintained its position as the top player in terms of both reach and engagement metrics, driven by its comprehensive coverage of economic and market-related topics. It recorded approximately three times more page views and time spent compared to its closest competitor, solidifying its status as the preferred financial markets destination for Indian consumers.
- The platform furthered its transition into a transaction-based model by introducing a lending product that offers tailored loan options in partnership with financial institutions. Earlier in the year, Moneycontrol had already launched Credit Score, Fixed Deposit bookings, and Account Aggregator services as part of this transition.
- Moneycontrol Pro surpassed 7.5 lakh paid subscribers, establishing itself as the leading subscription-based news platform in India and among the top 20 globally according to FIPP’s Digital Subscription Report.
- Additionally, Moneycontrol introduced a range of advanced analytical tools and data features to support its consumers in their investment decision-making journey. With a significant number of IPOs launched last year, Moneycontrol launched a dedicated page providing essential information on IPOs, including news, timelines, calendars, data, and other details.
News18.com Q4 2024 Operating Highlights :
- News18.com continued its expansion of editorial coverage and analysis, providing comprehensive coverage of events worldwide while introducing new features to enhance user experience. The platform placed increased emphasis on video storytelling and introduced “Impact Shorts,” which present news stories in a concise format. Additionally, the launch of in-house search functionality further improved user experience by enabling easier navigation and access to content.
- News18 also engaged with its audience through WhatsApp Channels, establishing a strong presence on the platform. This initiative proved successful, as News18 emerged as one of the highest-reaching news networks on WhatsApp, further extending its reach and engagement with users.
Firstpost Q4 2024 Operating Highlights :
- Firstpost introduced a redesigned website to prioritize a video-first experience for users. The revamped site includes dedicated digital destinations for its key shows, such as Vantage, Firstpost America, First Sports, Flashback, Between the Lines, and Fast & Factual. This initiative aims to enhance the viewing experience and accessibility of these shows for users.
- Additionally, Firstpost experienced significant growth on its YouTube channel, with a 70% quarter-on-quarter increase in average monthly video views. Moreover, the number of channel subscribers surpassed 4 million, indicating a growing audience and engagement with the platform’s content.
JioCinema Q4 2024 Operating Highlights :
- IPL 2024 kicked off with a bang on JioCinema, attracting over 113 million viewers on the first day of the tournament, marking a significant 51% increase compared to the previous season’s opening day. The platform also recorded a staggering 660 crore minutes of watch time on the first day alone. During the first week of the tournament, JioCinema witnessed a remarkable 70% increase in watch time.
- To enhance reach and engagement for the event, JioCinema introduced several programming innovations. In addition to offering commentary in 12 languages, including the newly added Haryanvi, the platform provided curated feeds like ‘Insiders’ and ‘Hangout.’ Users were also given the option to choose camera angles with features like ‘Hero Cam’ to follow favorite players and ‘Multi-View’ to view action from multiple angles simultaneously. Shows like ‘Legends Lounge,’ ‘What Just Happened,’ and ‘How It Started, How It’s Going’ further boosted engagement.
- The second season of Women Premier League (WPL) experienced a remarkable 3x growth in watch time and a 70% increase in reach compared to the first season, solidifying its status as the most-watched women’s sporting event globally. JioCinema also hosted several other sporting events, including the India-England Test series and India-Afghanistan T20 series.
- JioCinema achieved record reach and engagement for TV network shows, with Bigg Boss Hindi witnessing a 2.7x increase in viewership, a 1.3x increase in watch time, and a 1.6x increase in views compared to the previous season. Similarly, Bigg Boss Kannada saw a significant surge, with a 5.6x increase in viewership, a 3.5x increase in watch time, and a 4.2x increase in views compared to the previous season.
Viacom18 Studios Q4 2024 Operating Highlights :
- Viacom18 Studios achieved a significant milestone with the release of Fighter, which emerged as the highest-grossing movie of the quarter. The film surpassed Rs. 300 crore in worldwide box office collections. Additionally, the studio experienced its most successful year in terms of revenue, driven by the success of movies like Rocky Rani ki Prem Kahani and OMG2.