Sun TV: 70% of total revenues via ads

Sun TV has announced its Q3FY07 numbers. Its Q3 net profit was up at Rs 59.7 crore versus Rs 48 crore QoQ.

S Natrajan, VP, Finance, of the company, says that ad revenues have contributed 70% to the total revenues. He adds that there are ad revenues of more than Rs 20 lakh per station per month.

On an average, he says that there is a 15% hike in ad rates. He also informs that their radio business is doing well.  

Excerpts from CNBC-TV18’s exclusive interview with S Natrajan:

Q: could you break up your revenues in terms of advertising and subscriber revenues?

A: From advertising its 70% and the balance from other streams of revenue including the pay channel revenues.

Q: What has been the average increase in ad rates?

A: It would not be correct to take an average on the price rise because it is in a very wide fashion. So on an average it will about 15% hike.

Q: You set up three new stations in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Jaipur. Any cost pressures at the operating level and how have margins panned out for the quarter?

A: We have been performing very well and as per our internal survey we are No.1 there right now on revenues we are getting - Rs 20 lakh plus per month per station on an average. On the costs also we have incurred about Rs 2 crore plus on each of these stations.

Q: There have been talks of a possible fund raising exercise. Is there any requirement to raise fresh capital for any sort of expansion?

A: There are no such plans as of now.

Q: Give us your outlook on how subscriber revenues and ad revenues will pan out for this quarter?

A: For the subscribers’ revenue we have gone into pay-channels only from December 1. For the last month we got about Rs 5 crore from Sun TV pay channel alone, and this can give you an idea of how we will fare going forward.

For ad revenues we are not seeing any further hikes because we have already done it this month and that will definitely contribute to our bottomline.