MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom has announced that fourth quarter revenues increased by 22 per cent to $4.05 billion.

Adjusted Operating Income grew by 27 per cent o $1.06 billion, reflecting a significant increase in profitability in the film segment and double-digit growth in the media networks segment. Fourth quarter adjusted net earnings increased by 33 per cent to $614 million.

Consolidated revenues for the year increased by 12 per cent to $14.91 billion, with significant contributions from both media networks and film. Full-year adjusted operating income grew by 13 per cent to $3.85 billion, reflecting higher ad and affiliate revenues in Media Networks.

Full-year adjusted net earnings from continuing operations attributable to Viacom rose 22 per cent to $2.25 billion and full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations increased 25 per cent to $3.78. The company also announced an expansion of stock repurchase programme to $10 billion from $4 billion.

Viacom executive chairman Sumner M. Redstone said, "Viacom‘s performance in fiscal 2011 once again illustrates the value of our focused strategy and strong leadership. Viacom‘s powerful brands are enhanced by operational and financial discipline, which continues to drive our results and build value for shareholders."

Viacom president, CEO Philippe Dauman said, "2011 was an outstanding year, highlighted by significant creative milestones, strong topline growth and expanded profitability across every division of Viacom. Creatively we are at the top of our game, powered by unique audience insights and connections, coupled with consistent investment in innovative programming at our marquee media networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and BET. Paramount Pictures is benefiting from a disciplined franchise-centric approach that has produced an unprecedented number of hits in the domestic and international box office.

In terms of quarterly revenues media networks contributed $2.29 billion in revenues, an eight per cent gain over the same period last year, driven principally by growth in ad and affiliate revenues. Both worldwide and domestic ad revenues rose by seven per cent in the quarter. Worldwide affiliate revenues increased 11 per cent to $883 million, driven largely by rate increases.

Film revenues grew 46 per cent to $1.79 billion, principally due to the strong performance of ?Transformers: Dark of the Moon? in theatrical and home entertainment markets, as well as higher ancillary revenues, due in part to availability of titles for digital distribution.

For the year media networks delivered $814 million of the increase, reflecting a 10 per cent gain in ad revenues to $5 billion and a 12 per cent gain in affiliate fees to $3.52 billion, which more than offset a two per cent decline in ancillary revenues. Domestic advertising revenues rose 10 per cent. Domestic affiliate revenues increased 12 per cent, largely as a result of rate increases, as well as the availability of programming for digital distribution arrangements.

Film revenues increased 15 per cent to $5.92 billion, driven by sharply higher theatrical and ancillary revenues, as well as increased television license fees, which were partially offset by lower home entertainment revenues. The size and strength of the film slate were the primary drivers of a 58 per cent increase in theatrical revenues, while ancillary revenues rose by 48 per cent, principally reflecting the sale of distribution rights and digital revenues.

Quarterly adjusted operating income rise was driven by a 10 per cent increase in the media networks segment and a triple-digit gain in the film segment. Higher results in the media networks stemmed primarily from increases in domestic advertising and affiliate revenue, partially offset by higher programming investments. Film profits were driven by the strong performance of ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon‘.

Full-year adjusted operating income increase was driven by higher adjusted operating income of $467 million in media networks, principally reflecting increased revenues, partially offset by higher expenses. Film adjusted operating income was substantially flat. Adjusted full-year 2011 results exclude the impact of the current year restructuring charges, while the adjusted results for prior year exclude the impact of asset impairment.

Quarterly adjusted net earnings‘ increase reflects higher adjusted operating income and a lower effective tax rate. Full-year adjusted net earnings from continuing operations attributable to Viacom increased 22 per cent to $2.25 billion in 2011, primarily due to the increase in tax-effected adjusted operating income and higher equity income principally from Epix, which generated income this year, compared with a loss in 2010. Full-year 2011 adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations increased $0.76 to $3.78.

Stock Repurchase Programme: For the quarter ended 30 September, 2011 Viacom repurchased 19.7 million shares under its stock repurchase programme for an aggregate purchase price of $900 million. During the year ended 30 September, 2011 Viacom repurchased 55.7 million shares for an aggregate price of $2.5 billion. As of November 9, 2011, Viacom had $7.22 billion remaining in its $10 billion stock repurchase programme.

MUMBAI: Amid a toughening economy, Viacom18 has tweaked its growth plans. Pushed back for launch is the Hindi movie channel, for which the company had invested over Rs 2.5 billion in acquiring movie rights.

The channel will now launch next year, perhaps coinciding with an improved ad economy.

Viacom18 is also planning to launch regional entertainment channels next year.

Two smaller launches will take place this year. The company will launch within three months Comedy Central and another channel for young audiences.

Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that Viacom18 is planning to launch two niche channels.

"Given the changing dynamics of the television business in this market, we have decided to strategically re-prioritise our growth plans and are now planning to launch Comedy Central and a channel for young audiences within the next three months, while deferring the launch of our Hindi movie channel," Viacom18 Group CEO Haresh Chawla said in an official statement.

"We are a young organisation and therefore have the agility to tweak our plans as may be required. Given the direction of growth across our businesses, we intend to launch our Hindi movie channel some time next year, with a model that will cut the lead time to leadership significantly...like we?ve been able to achieve in our other businesses," he further added.

Last month, Viacom18 had appointed Ravish Kumar as head of its proposed Hindi movie channel. Kumar was earlier Star India EVP and general manager for regional channels, handling Star Jalsha and Star Pravah.

Kumar will now explore the regional prospects of Viacom18.

"We have also decided to focus more attention to regional language entertainment and Kumar will be leading our efforts to explore and launch that part of the business in the coming year," Chawla added.

Also Read :

Viacom18 to launch two niche and HD channels

MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom has reported double-digit gains for the quarter ended 30 June 2011.

Consolidated revenues in the quarter grew by 15 per cent to $3.77 billion, primarily driven by growth in affiliate, dvertising and television license revenues.
 
Adjusted operating income increased by 22 per cent to $995 million, fueled by Media Networks profit growth. Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations attributable to Viacom were up 35 per cent to $583 million with adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations of $0.99, which represents a 39 per cent increase over the prior year‘s results of $0.71 per share.

Viacom president, CEO Philippe Dauman said, "The breadth of hit programming found across Viacom‘s media network portfolio continues to expand with top-rated shows and tentpole events on MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET and TV Land, as well as many of our international networks, all of which contributed to strong advertising growth and a
robust advertising upfront performance. We are strengthening our global entertainment brands and expanding our reach through new international and digital distribution and bringing our audiences the content they want on new platforms."

Paramount Pictures is the first studio ever to deliver a record six consecutive $100 million-plus domestic box office movies and it was the first studio to cross the $1 billion domestic box office threshold for the fifth year in a row.

Film revenues grew by 13 per cent to $1.41 billion due principally to higher television license fees and home entertainment revenues. The company‘s worldwide television license revenues were up by 36 per cent in the quarter to $416 million, driven by the number and mix of available titles.

Home entertainment revenues increased 33 per cent to $331
million, reflecting one additional release as compared with the prior year‘s quarter as well as the strength of the current year releases. Ancillary revenues also grew, up 57 per cent to $72 million.

These gains were partially offset by lower theatrical revenues, which were down nine per cent to $588 million, principally reflecting the timing of film releases.

"The prior year period benefited from strong carryover revenues from DreamWorks Animation‘s ‘How to Train Your
Dragon‘ whereas ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon‘ was released in the final week of the fiscal 2011 third quarter, which will result in the majority of the film‘s theatrical revenues occurring in the fiscal fourth quarter," the company said.

 
MUMBAI: Viacom?s channel Comedy Central has secured one of Hollywood‘s most notorious bad boys. The network announced that Charlie Sheen will be the next Roastee.

The special ?Comedy Central Roast Of Charlie Sheen? will tape in Los Angeles on 10 September. The Roast will air on 19 September.

 
Sheen said, "You could say I‘ve been providing kindling for this Roast for a while. It‘s time to light it up. It‘s going to be epic."

Comedy Central head of original programming and production Kent Alterman said, "Charlie has assured us that nothing will be off limits in this Roast... which scares even us".

The airing happens on the same day that Two and A Half Men goes on air with Sheen?s replacement Ashton Kutcher.