MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) has narrowed its TV business operating loss to Rs 133 million in the third quarter ended 31 December, a 28 per cent drop from Rs 170.2 million a year earlier, on revenue growth and reduction in carriage costs.

RBNL?s TV business revenue grew 97 per cent to Rs 117 million in the third quarter from Rs 59.7 million a year earlier. The company?s loss before tax and interest during the quarter also narrowed to 167 million from Rs 186.2 million a year earlier.

The highlight of the third quarter was a 57 per cent reduction in carriage costs year-on-year due to cable TV digitisation in the three metros of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, RBNL said but did not disclose the amounts paid to MSOs as carriage fees.

Operating profit from FM radio business remained flat at Rs 122 million during the third quarter. The company said it has posted highest quarterly revenues so far from radio business at Rs 517 million in the third quarter, an 8 per cent increase from Rs 480.6 million a year earlier.

Commenting on the financial performance, RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, ?Reliance Broadcast has delivered impressive results in both radio and television businesses, with radio recording its highest ever revenue quarter. The television business has reported significant growth in revenue and reduction in carriage, reaping benefits from digitisation, and a well-crafted business strategy. We are on track to deliver improved margins, and build reach and value in the long term.?

The production business posted operating profit of Rs 1.5 million in the third quarter, up 90.66 per cent from 0.1 million a year earlier. The TV production business grew 7 per cent to Rs 127 million in the third quarter from Rs 118.1 million a year earlier.

On a consolidated basis, RBNL?s net income from operations in the third quarter declined to Rs 687.5 million from Rs 767.5 million a year earlier. Its expenses for the third quarter fell to Rs 851.1 million from 1.06 billion a year earlier.

MUMBAI: Star India has announced the telecast of the third edition of ?Big Star Entertainment Award? in association with Reliance Broadcast Network.

The event will be held on 16 December in Mumbai while it will be aired on New Year?s Eve.

The award will feature 31 categories, winners for which will be selected through online and SMS votes sent in by 92.7 Big FM listeners and Star Plus viewers.

The ?BIG Star Entertainment Awards 2012? will be promoted through a marketing campaign which will integrate RBNL?s multimedia platforms including radio, television and outdoor, supported by print and digital initiatives and on-ground activations.

RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, "The unique format of Big Star Entertainment Awards, which empowers audiences to choose their favorite entertainers along with the exciting show offering has clicked with audiences. They come back each year for unmatched and exclusive entertainment and an exceptional usher to their New Year! Now in its third year, the show which will air on Star Plus, is being planned, to surpass all benchmarks, becoming truly the BIGgest STAR Entertainment Awards!"

Star Plus SVP marketing Nikhil Madhok said, "New Year?s eve is a special night that all families like to spend together. Star Plus believes that this family time can be made more special with the right entertainment. Star Plus is back with the third season of Big Star Entertainment Awards which is full of entertaining performances by the biggest celebrities. It promises to be a great opportunity for families to bond and bring in the New Year."

MUMBAI: Big RTL Thrill, the joint venture channel between Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) and European entertainment network RTL Group, will launch on 5 November.

Big RTL Thrill is positioned as an action entertainment channel targeted at male audiences and has the tag line ?Action ka Baap? (Ultimate Action Destination).

Initially, the channel will go on air in Uttar Pradesh, featuring international content dubbed in Hindi. Phased expansion to other Hindi-speaking markets and the Saarc region (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation which include the countries of Sri Lanka, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan) will follow.

The channel will cater to what it says is a largely untapped market segment, with an entertainment mix developed by detailed sampling of content, focus group research and comprehensive market analysis.

The channel?s TG is male viewers aged 15 to 44. Its content will include reality shows, action series, wrestling, extreme sports, game shows and movies. Content has been acquired from production companies such as FremantleMedia, Endemol and Red Bull with key shows including Fear Factor, Cobra 11, Criss Angel, Wipe Out and Bay Watch. The line-up will also feature action films.

The channel will complement and provide synergies with the radio network 92.7 Big FM which has six stations in the state, along with its variety entertainment channel Big Magic. "This consolidates Reliance Broadcast Network?s position as a leading media platform in Uttar Pradesh, offering maximum focussed reach to marketers," the company said.

The channel will be marketed through a holistic multi-media campaign across television, radio, out of home, on ground, print and digital.

RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, ?Big RTL Thrill comes as an answer to the Indian males? quest for action entertainment. The product is world class, served in Hindi, and has been designed to fill a clear void that exists in the market, ensuring high audience engagement. With the launch of this channel, Reliance Broadcast Network fortifies its standing in Uttar Pradesh, offering advertisers a robust and unmatched offering in the region, delivering exceptional value for their brands.?

RTL Group executive VP regional operations, business development CEE and Asia Andreas Rudas said, ?This is an exciting moment for us at RTL Group; it?s our first step into the Indian broadcasting market, which offers very promising growth opportunities. We will contribute our long-term broadcasting and programming expertise to BIG RTL Thrill ? with high-quality content targeting a clearly defined audience. The powerful combination with Reliance Broadcast Network will help ensure that BIG RTL Thrill becomes a strong new brand on the Indian market.?

Uttar Pradesh was a natural choice for the launch of the channel. It is home to India?s largest male population and the country?s second largest economic engine, contributing 8.05 per cent of national GDP. The Ficci report shows the region?s advertising market grew by 15 per cent during 2011, faster than the national average with the strength of local business segments helping to provide some insulation from the current economic slowdown.

"Residents of the region also demonstrate higher than average income and consumption patterns. This makes Uttar Pradesh an area of great interest for marketers and an excellent starting point for Reliance Broadcast Network and RTL Group?s Joint Venture channel; further phased expansion will follow," the company said.

"22 out of the top 30 movies on Hindi movie channels in the Uttar Pradesh market are action movies compared to the ratio of 17:30 in other Hindi speaking markets. Action and thriller shows are the second highest rating drivers for Hindi General Entertainment channels, next only to serials. Statistics also highlight that action and thriller shows are an under-served genre of content when it comes to regional channels targeted at Uttar Pradesh," the release added.

Big RTL Thrill is the seventh channel from RBNL. The others are Big CBS Prime, Big CBS Love, Big CBS Spark, Big CBS Spark Punjabi, Big Magic and Bloomberg TV India.

According to an official statement, Big RTL Thrill has tied up with Den Networks, Digicable, Siticable, Moon Cable, Sea TV and other independent operators. The channel has also teamed up with Reliance Digital TV across India, and is in the process of closing deals with other operators, the release added.

MUMBAI: Big CBS Networks has appointed Anand Chakravarthy as its business head.

This will be Chakravarthy?s additional responsibility. He continues to be chief marketing officer of Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd (RBNL). Big CBS is an equal joint venture of RBNL and US-based CBS Studios International.

Chakravarthy replaces Vishal Rally who recently quit the company to start something of his own.

Chakravarthy, who has been associated with RBNL right since its launch, will take on the mandate of the overall profit and loss and brand development for the joint venture?s English Channel portfolio -- Big CBS Prime, Big CBS Love and Big CBS Spark.

Chakravarthy will report to RBNL CEO Tarun Katial.

Katial said, "Anand is one of our finest and most committed senior management associates. As the business takes a new leap with some amazing content - America?s Got Talent, American Idol, X Factor, Dexter and more, along with the impending digitization which will catapult these channels into another level, no one is better equipped than Anand to lead this initiative and focus on great content and communication, subscription revenue, and building greater value for advertisers."
 
"CBS is thrilled to have an executive of Anand?s caliber guide our channels to their next level of success. Anand was very involved with the initial launch phase of our business in India, and we look forward to working with him in this expanded role," CBS Studios International executive vice president- International Channels Reed Manville added.

Chakravarthy said, "Reliance Broadcast is a dynamic company and I?m proud of what we have achieved in a short span of time. The Big CBS Network which launched with a promise to change the way English entertainment was served to Indian audiences stands today as the No.1 English Entertainment Network, and I look forward to working with the young and vibrant team to growing it further while building value for consumer and customers alike."

Chakravarthy has over 15 years of experience across research, advertising and marketing. He had joined RBNL in 2006. Prior to joining RBNL, he was at Lowe India and has handled clients like Unilever stable, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, ICICI Bank, Tata Mutual Fund, IL&FS Investsmart and HSBC.

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) expects to achieve break-even from its television business on an operating basis for the fourth quarter of this fiscal.

The company?s confidence stems from narrowing operating loss led by a sharp reduction in carriage costs.

?Barring unforeseen circumstances, the company expects to exit the current financial year with TV business achieving break-even at an operating level,? the company said.

RBNL?s operating loss from television business in the first quarter ended 30 June 2012 was down nearly 55 per cent to Rs 116.93 million from Rs 258.79 million a year earlier.

The company said the reduction in operating loss was largely on account of a 70 per cent cut in carriage costs, but did not specify how much it spent in the quarter on account of the money paid to multi-system cable operators (MSOs) and direct-to-home (DTH) companies for carrying their television channels.

Revenue from the television business in the first quarter was Rs 66.34 million. It is against Rs 18.14 million in the first quarter of last year, which were initial days for RBNL?s television business. In the fourth quarter of last year, RBNL?s television business revenue Rs 103.36 million.

RBNL operates five channels ? three English language entertainment channels Prime, Love and Spark, a Punjabi language channel Spark Punjabi, all the four under its joint venture Big CBS Networks, and Big Magic, a regional general entertainment channel for the Hindi heartland. RBNL has a 50:50 joint venture with media conglomerate CBS.

The television financial results, thus, reflect the 50 per cent of the JV company Big CBS.

The operating break even will confine to the current television businesses of RBNL, a company official said The forecast does not include RBNL?s joint venture with RTL. The company plans to launch a channel called Thrill through the RTL JV this fiscal.

RBNL?s consolidated revenue in the first quarter was Rs 557.45 million, down 25 per cent per cent from Rs 751.72 million a year earlier. The revenue contraction was on account of a fall in revenue of radio and television production businesses.

RBNL?s revenue from the radio business fell 19 per cent to Rs 396.38 million from Rs 494.46 million a year earlier. Its revenue from production business at Rs 52.79 million in the first quarter was down 68 per cent from Rs 166.34 million a year earlier.

The radio business of RBNL actually slipped into a loss in the first quarter of 2012-13 with an operating loss of Rs 10.14 million against operating profit of Rs 74 million a year earlier. In the fourth quarter ended 31 March 2012, the operating profit from radio business was Rs 91.78 million. The company operates Big 92.7 radio station.

RBNL has, however, managed to narrow its consolidated net loss to Rs 287.04 million from Rs 291.34 million a year earlier. Its consolidated income from operations plunged 29 per cent to Rs 526.64 million in the first quarter from Rs 745.30 million a year earlier, but what helped the company narrow its loss was nearly halving of direct operational expenses (down 48 per cent) to Rs 268.96 million from Rs 521.12 milion a year earlier.

RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, ?RBNL had a satisfactory quarter in the given environment, backed by product innovation and optimal cost management. Our key businesses of radio and television stand to benefit significantly from imminent industry reforms of Phase III and digitisation, respectively."

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) has created a hybrid channel mixing entertainment content from Big Magic, business news from Bloomberg UTV and some of its owned televised awards and special shows.

The channel, Big Magic International, will launch in Canada and then move on to other international markets like the US, Middle East and Australia.

"About 60-70 per cent of the channel?s content will be from Big Magic. The intellectual property shows and business news from Bloomberg UTV will make up the remaining quotient of the content," said RBNL?s spokesperson.

Helping the launch in Canada will be Ethnic Channels Group (EGCL), a Canada-based television broadcasting, distribution and communications company that specialises in multicultural television channels for the North American market. The channel will be available across all major distribution platforms like Rogers Cable, Bell DTH and Bell Fibe.

"We will reach a relevant audience base of 0.2 million across these platforms. The revenue model is based on subscription and ad-sales," RBNL said.

Big Magic International has been tailored after closely mapping the entertainment preferences of the South Asian audiences in Canada. According to market estimates, the South Asian population in Canada is 1.2 million, accounting for 5 per cent of the country?s population.

Big Magic International?s programming will include a mix of daily sitcoms, shows on varied genres ranging from socio-mytho, dramas and crime.

RBNL?s intellectual property vertical?s televised award shows providing entertainment doses from across India include India?s Sexiest Bachelor, India?s Glam Diva, I Love Style, Big Hindustan Rising Star Awards, Big Hindustani Music Awards and Big Bangla Music Awards. Additionally, the channel will also feature shows that will appeal across age groups like stand-up comedies and cultural quiz shows.

RBNL believes the channel?s differentiator will be the half-hour updates from the Indian capital markets from Bloomberg UTV - India that will air thrice a day. The channel will also air a special weekend feature show created around the Indian business world and investments in India.

RBNL CEO Tarun Katial, CEO, said, "We are happy to reach out to the Canadian market with Big Magic International which has been designed to fulfil the need gaps in the infotainment genre for South Asian audiences there. The channel will bring an increasing variety of fresh and relevant programming to the viewers which will include not just entertainment but also daily business updates from India. With this move, we are optimising the use of our robust and extensive content library to reach out to both viewers and marketers in the market. The launch of Big Magic International opens new and exciting opportunities for the execution of our expansion and growth strategy."