Mumbai: Print Media giant DB Corp Limited has announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, featuring key highlights of operational and financial performance, including flagship newspapers – Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Divya Marathi, and Saurashtra Samachar.
In Q1FY25, Dainik Bhaskar continued its strong growth streak. Advertising revenue rose by 8.4% to Rs 4277 million supported by market strength. EBITDA margins improved by 700 bps to 31%, reaching Rs 1909 million due to cost efficiency. Profit after tax surged by 50% to Rs 1179 million, indicating sustained profitability. The radio business showed a 6.2% ad revenue increase and a 300 bps margin rise to 34% at Rs 132 million. An interim dividend of Rs 7 per share was maintained, reflecting financial stability and growth focus.
Print media, especially Dainik Bhaskar, remains powerful in India, driving growth for advertisers and itself. Indian language newspapers are popular across various sectors, notably auto, education, real estate, jewellery, health, response, and government ads.
Dainik Bhaskar is distinguished as the only media organization whose predictions closely aligned with the actual results. This accomplishment underscores the reputation as a trusted and accurate source of information, deeply connected to the grassroots, for the readership.
Newsprint prices continued to be soft in Q1 FY2025. The average cost for newsprint has reduced to Rs 46900 PMT in Q1 FY2025 resulting in newsprint cost reduction of 20.9% YoY.
On the circulation front, the company retained loyal readers and expanded reader base through targeted initiatives.
- In Q1 of FY25, it introduced Gujarat-specific initiatives, including the Cut & Paste Mega Offer and the Sure Gift Reader’s Scheme. The IPL Quiz League boosted reader engagement, and the Bachat Coupon program helped readers save in 23 cities nationwide.
- The SCAY initiative boosted retention to 65% by rewarding agents and reopening closed agencies to expand distribution networks significantly.
Digital Business – Maintaining a Dominant Position in News Apps
In the past four years, Digital Business has driven significant growth for the organization through innovative products that offer personalized experiences with text, graphics, videos, and more. The company’s apps saw a substantial increase in monthly active users from 2 million in January 2020 to around 18 million in May 2024, solidifying Dainik Bhaskar’s leadership in Hindi and Gujarati News Apps. This achievement has established Dainik Bhaskar as the top Phygital Indian Language Newspaper in both print and digital sectors.
Their three-pronged strategy for user retention and engagement—leveraging high-quality content, user experience, and technological infrastructure—is crucial to their operational success. Teams are making continuous efforts to improve content delivery with minor and major upgrades. This dedication guarantees users get hyperlocal news that covers towns, cities, and states in their target markets. Visual enhancements to news content also boost user engagement.
Dainik Bhaskar – # 1 News Publisher App in India
| News Apps
(Monthly Unique Visitors – Millions) |
Jan-20 | Jan-21 | Jan-24 | Mar-24 | May-24 |
| Dainik Bhaskar (Mobile App) | 1.6 | 6.2 | 10.7 | 10.8 | 14.8 |
| Divya Bhaskar (Mobile App) | 0.5 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
| Aaj Tak (Mobile App) | 3.8 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| ABP Live News (Mobile App) | 3.6 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Dainik Jagran Hindi News (Mobile App) | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
Source: Comscore Mobile Metrix Media Trend, All Applications [Undup.], All, Custom List of News Apps (Dainik Bhaskar (Mobile App), DIVYABHASKAR (Mobile App),The Times of India (Mobile App),NDTV (Mobile App), Aaj Tak (Mobile App), ABP Live News (Mobile App), Dainik Jagran Hindi News (Mobile App), Total Audience,News18 (Mobile App), India Today (Mobile App),Jan-20 to May-24, India
* excluding aggregators
Performance highlights for Q1 FY2025 – Consolidated [All Comparisons with Q1 FY2024]
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- Advertising Revenue grew by 8.4% to Rs. 4277 million as against Rs. 3,946 million.
- Circulation Revenue stands at Rs. 1192 million as against Rs. 1,199 million
- Total Revenue grew by 7.4% to Rs. 6163 million as against Rs. 5,736 million.
- EBIDTA grew by 40.4% to Rs. 1909 million as against Rs. 1,359 million aided by Advt revenue Growth with effective cost control measures, & also helped by softening newsprint prices. EBIDTA margin expanded by 700 basis points to 31% from 24% last year
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- Net Profit grew by 49.7% YOY to Rs. 1179 million as against Rs. 788 million.
- Radio business:
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- Advt Revenue grew by 6.2 % YOY at Rs 386 million versus Rs. 364 million
- EBIDTA grew by 14.2% YOY to Rs. 132 million versus Rs. 115 million
Commenting on the performance for Q1 FY2025, Sudhir Agarwal, Managing Director, DB Corp Ltd said, “As we enter Fiscal 2025, Dainik Bhaskar has demonstrated resilience and strength. Our first quarter results are particularly impressive considering the dip in Govt billing due to the election code of conduct. We are maintaining our growth trajectory across our Print, Radio, and Digital platforms, underscoring the robustness of our omni- channel strategy and the underlying demand for our media offerings. Our Digital platform with currently 18 million MAUs is a powerful pillar of growth.
The editorial excellence, continued broad-based support from advertisers and the strong economic growth of our key markets provides us a strong platform. As India’s economic landscape continues to evolve post-elections, we’re well-positioned to capitalize on new opportunities, further cement our market leadership, and deliver enhanced value to our stakeholders.”
