KOLKATA: After bearing the brunt of the initial shock of the pandemic, TV broadcasters saw a strong sequential recovery of 86 per cent in advertising revenue in Q2. Although it was lower by 20 per cent year-on-year basis, the growth was aided by the lifting of the lockdown, easing of restrictions and resumption of fresh content on general entertainment channels (GECs) with effect from June 2020, according to credit rating agency ICRA Ltd.

As per the report, GECs regained their popularity and market share that they had lost to news and movies during the quarantine phase. FMCG, ecommerce and consumer durables remained the top contributors in terms of advertisement spends in Q2 FY2021.

Overall, TV broadcasters in ICRA’s sample set reported a 21 per cent  year-on-year decline in revenues in H1 FY2021. Advertisement revenues witnessed a sharp 40 per cent year-on-year decline in H1 FY2021, though the same was partly offset by the nine per cent year-on-year growth in subscription revenues as subscribers increased their TV viewing during the pandemic.

In Q1, ICRA’s sample set of TV broadcasters witnessed a 59 per cent year-on-year decline in advertisement revenues, as corporates pulled back their advertisement spends, amid the uncertainty during the then imposed lockdown and the pandemic. Depending on genres, advertisement revenues were impacted by 25-60 per cent (vis-a-vis pre-Covid average monthly revenues) in Q1 FY2021.

While news and movies genres were on the lower end of the spectrum, with an average decline of 25-30 per cent in advertisement revenues, GECs and sports channels witnessed a sharp 50-60 per cent reduction in advertisement revenues in Q1 FY2021, given the absence of fresh content and deferment of high viewership driving sports events – including the IPL, UEFA 2020, Olympics 2020, among others.

TV viewing remained high during the first half of the year, which resulted in increase in subscription revenues, up by 12 per cent on a year-on-year basis in Q1 and seven per cent in Q2. Since advertisement revenues account for more than 55 per cent of the total revenues of TV broadcasters, this decline adversely impacted the operating profit margin (OPM) of TV broadcasters, which contracted to 26.6 per cent in H1 (for ICRA’s sample set).

However, ICRA expects the TV broadcasting industry to witness year-on-year contraction of 15-20 per cent in revenues in FY21. Subscription revenues for TV broadcasters are expected to hold steady in H2 FY21 as consumers are likely to continue their TV viewing amid limited outdoor avenues of entertainment. Overall, subscription revenues are expected to witness mid-single digit revenue growth in FY2021.

Advertisement revenues witnessed good traction during the festive season and most of the TV broadcasters have witnessed an uptick in ad rates in Q3 FY2021. Industry players expect to reach pre-Covid advertisement revenues in Q3 FY2021. Advertisement revenues will thus witness a strong recovery in H2 FY21, as economic activity and growth improves, though it will be lower by five per cent on a year-on-year basis.

The OPM in the period was supported by the savings on fresh content creation costs. Given the anticipated year-on-year revenue decline for H2 FY21, ICRA expects the OPM to remain under pressure and overall contract by 400-500 bps in FY21. Profitability pressures have also risen due to the increasing investments in content necessitated by increased competition from digital platforms, ICRA states.