About
D B Corp Ltd
D B Corp Limited (DBCL) is India's largest media conglomerate with presence across Print, Radio and Digital. The company is headquartered in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, with over 11,000 employees across the country. As India's largest print media company, DBCL publishes 6 newspapers - Dainik Bhaskar (46 editions), Divya Bhaskar (9 editions), Divya Marathi (6 editions), Saurashtra Samachar, DB Star and DB Post in 4 languages i.e., Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English. DBCL is present across 12 states in India with a footprint in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Bihar. DBCL is the only media conglomerate that enjoys a leadership position in multiple states, in multiple languages and is either a clear leader or a formidable player in all its major markets.
The company's other business interests span across radio and digital mediums. In the FM radio segment, the brand has a strong presence in '94.3 MY FM' available in 7 states and 30 cities creating a valuable package to advertisers in Tier II and III cities, where Dainik Bhaskar is already a leader in its print business.
DBCL also has a strong online presence with 9 Internet portals with a very formidable and strong position in almost 67% of Indian language media space, in terms of Unique Visitors and Page Views. Further, it is the dominant No.1 digital player in various Indian languages, i.e., Hindi and Gujarati, alongside 4 actively available and well-used mobile apps - Dainik Bhaskar and Divya Bhaskar.
D B Corp Ltd was incorporated on October 27, 1995 with the Multi-Tech Energy Ltd. In December 1, 2005, the name of the company was changed from Multi-Tech Energy Ltd to D B Corp Ltd. As per the scheme of arrangement, the business of publication, including the assets and liabilities, intellectual property rights, employees and printing of newspaper under the title 'Dainik Bhaskar' and 'Divya Bhaskar' and the wind farm business of Writers and Publishers Ltd were transferred to the company as a going concern with effect from April 1, 2005.
In the year 2006, the company launched Ujjain, Sagar editions of 'Dainik Bhaskar' and Rajkot Edition of 'Divya Bhaskar'. Also, they launched a new edition of 'Dainik Bhaskar' in Punjab. The company's subsidiary, Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd acquired 17 licenses for their FM Radio operations and also launched operations in Jaipur.
In the year 2007, the company launched Hindi edition of 'Dainik Bhaskar' from Ludhiana. They launched new edition of 'Divya Bhaskar' in Gujarat. Also, they entered into a publication license agreement with Diligent Media Corporation Ltd to print, edit, publish, circulate, and market the Newspaper DNA-Daily News & Analysis including its supplements, 'After Hrs.', 'DNA Sport', 'DNA Academy', 'DNA Life', 'DNA ME' and 'DNA YA' in the entire state of Gujarat. The company's subsidiary, Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd launched 13 FM radio stations at various locations in India. In June 2007, as per the scheme of arrangement, the internet division of Indiainfo was transferred to the company.
In the year 2008, the company's new brand 'DB Star' was published from Indore and Bhopal. They launched 'Business Bhaskar' in Bhopal, Indore, Raipur, Panipat, New Delhi, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Also, they entered into a publication license agreement with Diligent Media Corporation Ltd to print, edit, publish, circulate, and market editions of DNA-Daily News & Analysis including its supplements, 'After Hrs.', 'DNA Sport', 'DNA Academy', 'DNA Life', 'DNA ME' and 'DNA YA' in the entire state of Rajasthan. Their subsidiary, Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd launched three FM radio stations at Kota, Jabalpur and Raipur.
During the year 2008-09, the company launched Dainik Bhaskar in Jagdalpur, Bhilai, Nagour, Pali, Ratlam, Shimla and Dehradun. In September 2008, they launched Business Bhaskar in New Delhi. In January 6, 2010, the equity shares of the company were on listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
In August 2010, the company launched the new edition of Dainik Bhaskar in Ranchi. In September 2010, the company launched Dainik Bhaskar at Bhatinda in Punjab and Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh. Also, the company launched full fledged printing centres in Sirohi and Barmet in Rajasthan for their brand Dainik Bhaskar to further strengthen their readership.
During the financial year ended 31 March 2014, D B Corp Limited (DBCL) delivered a robust operating performance amidst a challenging market environment. Focus on sustaining and extending leadership in core markets, consistent focus on operational efficiencies as well as strong performance across print and non-print segments have enabled the company to report significant growth. Associations with leading media brands for exclusive, unique content and realignment of corporate sales and marketing strategy with the aim of providing greater focus to advertisers at every state level has contributed extensively in achieving the growth.
With the necessary strategic platform already set at the start of the year, the company was able to capture higher ad revenue from regional markets under various segments.
In Maharashtra, the company launched new editions at Akola and Amaravati. Divya Marathi maintained strong growth momentum across all 7 editions during the year. Apart from further building readership in the existing markets, the company also entered into the state of Bihar with the launch of Patna edition in Q4 March 2014.
On the infrastructure front, the company continued to invest in upgrading the printing facilities to provide quality product at all the locations and building efficiencies of advanced technology.
On the corporate front, DBCL integrated its internet and interactive mobile services business which was housed in its wholly-owned subsidiary I Media Corp Ltd. (IMCL) by demerging the same from IMCL and merging into DBCL. The demerger, which was approved by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Principal Seat at Jabalpur vide its order dated 27 March, 2014, became effective from 1 April 2013 (Appointed Date). This demerger brought the 3 major segments viz. Print, Radio & Internet under one company. As a result of this demerger, DBCL's wholly-owned subsidiary IMCL now carries out only events related business.
During the year, DBCL sold its entire stake of 51 % held in Divya Prabhat Publications Private Limited (DPPPL) to Mr. Prabhat Sojatia and Mr. Sunil Sojatia by terminating the Shareholders' Agreement dated 1 October, 2011 executed between the two companies and members of the Sojatia family. Accordingly, DPPPL had ceased to be a subsidiary of DBCL effective close of business hours on 30 June 2013.
During the financial year ended 31 March 2015, D B Corp Limited (DBCL) continued to focus on strengthening its presence in the existing markets of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in its print media business.
D B Corp Limited (DBCL) implemented advertisement yield strategy agenda, by taking a substantial hike in print media advertising rates, at the beginning of financial year 2015-16. It faced some resistance from advertisers and media agencies initially and hence, the advertising revenue growth witnessed yearly decline.
During the year, DBCL successfully completed its Bihar roll-out. The company launched new editions in Bhagalpur, Gaya and Muzaffarpur, besides, 7 district editions, thus extending its reach and presence to the entire geography of Bihar.
The company launched a broadsheet English language newspaper 'DB Post' from Bhopal. DB Post is a compact, smart product catering to the youth and English readership. It was launched as a crisp product to fill an important reader demand in the region, and has met with satisfactory interest.
During the year, the company launched Money Bhaskar App, the first Multi-lingual Business app in India on the iOS and Android platforms.
DBCL's Radio Business continued to perform exceptionally well in 2015-16. During the year, the radio business bagged new station license for 13 new radio stations in major Tier II cities of India, in majority of which DBCL has presence in print business as well.
With regard to Digital Business, www.dainikbhaskar.com introduced video bulletin that enables the users to see and hear the news rather than just reading it crossing a 13 million video view during the month of March 2016. It helped to increase engagement and to cross the language barrier and tap the English reader who also watches Hindi video.
During the year, www.moneybhaskar.com was launched in Gujarati for more localized and focused business news catering to the large Gujarati diaspora and business community.
DB Digital introduced two new websites gadgets.bhaskar.com and food.bhaskar.com during the year under review.
DB Digital saw a phenomenal growth in FY 2015-16 in terms of Unique Visitors (UV) and Page per Visit (PV). DB Digital subsuming of eleven digital portals has breached 1,197 million PV and 34 million UV mark.
During the financial year ended 31 March 2017, D B Corp Limited (DBCL) maintained its focus on editorial strategy which has led to significant improvement in quality of editorial content, greater readership delight and growth. As per Press In India Report 2015-16 prepared by Registrar of Newspapers of India (RNI), Dainik Bhakar becomes the nation's largest circulated multi-edition daily. Dainik Bhaskar was awarded ISO-9001:2015 certification for Quality Management Systems in its newspaper distribution function and is probably the only newspaper organisation in India to receive such certification.
The company's Radio Business continued to perform exceptionally well in FY 2016-17.
DB Digital saw a phenomenal growth in FY 2016-17 in terms of Unique Visitors (UV) and Page per Visit (PV). During FY 2016-17, DB Digital leveraged its various assets. DBCL introduced a live video streaming platform called Bhaskar Live' and a UGC video platform for its readers to share their live feeds and reach out to 90 million users.
On 1 August 2016, DBCL launched its real estate portal homeonline.com. It offers end to end services to home buyers from purchase to shifting into new house offering value added services - Vaastu compliance, home decor, furnishings, maintenance, etc. In a span of 8 months, Homeonline.com served more than ~100K property seekers online, connecting 10,000+ property owners with home seekers in Bhopal and Raipur.
During the year under review, DBCL diluted its entire shareholding in I Media Corp Limited (IMCL) to DB Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. (DBIPL) for a lumpsum consideration, thereby making it a step-down subsidiary of the company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of DBIPL.
During the year, DBCL consolidated its shareholding held in DBIPL by purchase of 5,000 shares from the minority shareholder. The said purchase was in accordance with the terms of Share Subscription and Shareholders' Agreement dated 16 April 2015 executed by the company with the minority shareholder and DBIPL. Consequent to the purchase, DBIPL has become wholly-owned subsidiary of DBCL.
As per the terms of Share Subscription and Shareholders' Agreement executed by DBCL with DBIPL and the minority shareholder, DBCL had subscribed to 10,00,000 0.01% Compulsorily Convertible Debentures (CCDs) of Rs. 10/- each. As per the terms of issue, the said CCDs were converted into equivalent number of equity shares and accordingly 10,00,000 equity shares of face value of Rs. 10/- each were allotted to DBCL by the Board of DBIPL.
During the year under review, upon recommendations of the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors of DBCL at its meeting held on 19 January 2017 approved a Composite Scheme of Arrangement and Amalgamation between DBCL and its subsidiaries; I Media Corp Limited (IMCL / Transferor Company) and DB Infomedia Private Limited (DBIPL / Demerged Company / Transferee Company). Under this Composite Scheme, IMCL was proposed to be amalgamated into DBIPL and thereafter, the Internet Business of DBIPL was to be hived-off / demerged into DBCL. The said Composite Scheme was approved by the Board of respective subsidiary companies as well. However, at the meeting held on 18 May 2017, the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Audit Committee, re-evaluated the validity of the above Scheme and came to the conclusion that in light of the current business environment, the proposed Composite Scheme will no longer give any extra benefits to the company and its stakeholders. Hence, a decision was taken to withdraw the Composite Scheme of Arrangement and Amalgamation as aforesaid and not to be acted upon further.
During the financial year ended 31 March 2018, D B Corp Limited (DBCL) maintained its focus on editorial strategy which has led to significant improvement in quality of editorial content, greater readership delight and growth. Dainik Bhaskar newspaper continues to be the Nation's largest circulated multi-edition daily as per Press In India Report 2016-17 prepared by the Registrar of Newspapers of India (RNI).
During FY 2017-18, the company's circulation strategy was complemented by strong editorial and product enrichment efforts along with unique and impactful reader engagement initiatives.
During the year under review, the company executed a challenging and ambitious Circulation Expansion strategy in its legacy markets of Rajasthan, Gujarat and in the newer market of Bihar. The circulation copies increased from an average of 50.4 lakh copies at the start of the initiative in July 2017 to 57.9 lakh copies by the end of the year i.e. a growth of around 15% in a 9-month's period; and this entire circulation increase was achieved at a higher cover price.
Dainik Bhaskar also marked their expansion into Gujarat and launched the Surat edition on 30 April 2017, establishing a strong presence in a large cosmopolitan city with almost 28 lakhs of the non-Gujarati speaking population. Dainik Bhaskar successfully tapped the existing potential amongst Surat's non-Gujarati speaking, multicultural, industrialised households, who have migrated from neighbouring states like Rajasthan, NCR, Punjab, Haryana UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.
The company's Radio Business continued to perform exceptionally well in FY 2017-18. MY FM completed the fastest roll out of all 13 newly acquired stations under Batch I of Phase III and expanded the company's reach to 7 states across 30 cities, being the largest player in the Rest of Maharashtra and No. 1 in Chandigarh / Haryana / Punjab / Rajasthan / Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Innovative and unique activation initiatives were undertaken throughout the fiscal that strengthened 94.3 MY FM's connect with listeners and leading consumer brands alike.
During the year under review, DB Digital's focus was strongly on technology for continuous optimisation, better user engagement and maximising ROI to advertisers. DB Digital launched Wisdom' an in-house analytics and data intelligence proprietary tool that supports the editorial team with real-time insights on content.
The company's real estate portal homeonline.com served more than ~1.3 mn home-seeking users online, connecting 80,000+ home seekers with property owners/ builders in Bhopal, Raipur, Indore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. More than 75,000 properties and 900+ projects were made available to home seekers in Bhopal, Raipur, Indore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
DBCL's shareholders approved Buyback proposal for buy-back of up to 92,00,000 fully paid-up equity shares of Rs. 10/- each (being approx. 5% of the total paid-up equity share capital of the Company as on 31st March, 2018) at a price of Rs. 340/- per equity share on a proportionate basis through tender offer for an aggregate amount of Rs. 312.80 crore (excluding transaction cost viz. brokerage, applicable taxes such as securities transaction tax, stamp duty and goods and service tax, etc.). The approval for Buyback proposal was accorded by the shareholders of the company by passing the enabling Special Resolution through Postal Ballot as per statutory requirements in this regard, the results of which were declared by the company on 7 July 2018. The Record Date for determining the eligibility of the shareholders to participate in the Buyback is set as 18 July 2018. The company will be completing the Buyback within 12 months from the date of Special Resolution passed approving the proposed Buyback.
During FY 2019, the Company launched new readers' engagement scheme Run Banao Karodon Ke Inaam Paao' to encash the ensuing cricket season - starting from India-Australia series, followed by IPL and then ICC World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan was roped in as an ambassador to garner interest among non-readers, which duly reflected in the circulation number.
In FY 2019, the Company launched Mahabharat 2019' an exclusive drive at Pan-India level on Lok Sabha election with the introduction of special election jacket and special election pages. The initiative continues to gather huge readership appeal through various special properties on election with the aim to bring extensive ground coverage and in-depth analysis for its readers.
MY FM concluded a massive 360-degree campaign Aapki Marzi' for its listeners in Maharashtra in order to keep the content in sync with the listeners' expectations. Marathi content was expanded across the stations in the state, basis the feedback received. MY FM launched this new show to infuse fun, positive and light-hearted listening during the late evening time featuring the non-clich on-air friend Dev' in FY19.
In FY 2019, the company launched Paison ka Ped' in 11 cities - India's First Radio Reality Show where people from various walks of life are selected through a series of auditions and interviews.
In FY 2019, MY FM Jashn' concluded in Jaipur and Indore. Events were starred by two mega artist Vipul Goel (Stand-up Comedian) and Kavi Sammelan Kumar Vishwas and Team which was attended by over 10,000 audiences in both the cities.
In FY19, MY FM concluded the largest painting competition in Tier II and III markets with a participation of ~2.7 Lakh kids for Rangrezz' Season 5.In Print business, the Hansa Research Group undertook a commissioned Bihar Readership Research in July 2018 to gauge the readership of various Hindi Newspapers, their readership profile, key product consumptions, readers' engagement and brand satisfaction. As per this readership report, Dainik Bhaskar was at No. 2 position with an Average Issue Readership (AIR) of 9.11 Lakh, while the legacy player had an AIR of 9.98 Lakh readers.
D B Corp Ltd
Chairman Speech
Dear Shareholders,
This ancient truth is the beacon that has guided us through 60 years of an exhilarating
journey of spreading knowledge and engendering happiness. More importantly, it continues
to be our driving force as we get ready to scale new milestones of success. As we stand at
this iconic moment of our journey, we look back at the past 60 years with a sense of
accomplishment. Every moment of our existence has been spent earnestly to pursue the goals
we had set for ourselves. Today, standing tall as India’s largest and biggest
newspaper, our growth reflects our commitment to our objectives. We remain thankful to our
readers/audiences and all other stakeholders, who have partnered with us in the
achievement of our goals.
Moving to the present, we believe that we are at the threshold of an even more exciting
phase of our journey. Our learnings will steer us to the next level of growth and
expansion. At the same time, our deeply entrenched customer-centric approach and innate
courage to distinguish right from wrong will prove invaluable in scaling new heights. We
have nurtured this philosophy through the years, charting new territories to connect
deeper with our audiences. In line with the vision of our late Chairman Shri Ramesh
Chandra Agarwal, we have continuously evolved our editorial policy to keep pace with the
industry and market transformation.
Our Editorial Strategy
In recent years, D. B. Corp Ltd. has embraced a value-added, knowledge-based editorial
strategy. Going beyond mere dissemination of news and information, we are imbuing our
stories and reports with depth that few newspapers provide. Customised and personalised
content, targeted at consumers across Tier II and III markets, is bringing us closer to
our audiences across India’s diverse cultural milieus, languages and aspirations.
Packaged under the umbrella of a unified editorial philosophy, this strategy enables us to
be differentiated and distinctive.
It has been our consistent and constant endeavour to augment our connect with the
audiences through innovative initiatives. The last decade has also witnessed strengthening
of our editorial engagement, with exclusive global tie-ups that enable us to stay ahead
and remain original. Our ‘Bhaskar Original’ initiative comes with exclusive
offerings, giving our diverse readers truly unique experiences. We have made this possible
with a network of reporters spread across 15 countries (India’s first media house to
have such a large global footprint), a National Reporting Task Force to bring exclusive
news to our readers and a more inspiring ‘No Negative Monday’ focus.
State-of-the-Art Machinery
We have also been investing regularly in strengthening our capacities and capabilities
with more than Rs. 5 billion spent in the past 10 years to upgrade our plants and
machinery. With 54 printing facilities (the highest in India for any newspaper), we have
successfully pursued our ambition to be the first to carry news for our readers on all
historic occasions – a feat we replicated most recently in the coverage of the
Chandrayaan-2 launch.
Consistent Investment in Our Markets
Further realigning our editorial strategies to factor in the changing times and
consumer requirements, we scaled up the levels of our social media engagement to enhance
our relevance for our audiences. This customer-centric philosophy extends to the
advertiser community. While growing our market share across regions, we have also focussed
ourselves on partnering with advertisers for a mutually gainful relationship that
translates into increased reader delight. With high-end and unbiased content offerings,
coupled with continuously improving printing quality, we continue to reach out to a bigger
base of audiences to aggressively push our circulation strategy in existing and new
markets.
Led by this consumer-focussed approach, we reached new frontiers of growth and
expansion during FY 2018-19, to register the highest advertising and circulation revenue
growth in print industry. The significant decline in newsprint prices from their peak
would help us keep our expenses in check in future. We also proactively initiated a series
of internal measures to drive cost efficiencies which are also expected to add to our
bottom line.
The result of these concerted and inventive initiatives was evident in the
Company’s performance during FY 2018-19, which saw our consolidated total revenue
growth went up by 6.2% YoY at Rs. 24,793 mn compared to Rs. 23,350 mn for FY 2017-18.
Circulation Revenue grew by 5.1% YoY during FY 2018-19 to Rs. 5,237 mn compared to Rs.
4,981 mn for FY 2017-18 – largely an outcome of volume growth led by our circulation
expansion strategy. In the same period, advertising revenues registered a growth of 7.4%
YoY to Rs. 17,625 mn from Rs. 16,416 mn.
Huge Headroom for Consistent growth in Print
The latest IRS data and ABC circulation data shows that the print industry is
well-entrenched on the path of growth. The recent Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2019 Q1
has flagged that readership of dailies in India is consistently rising, having added ~1.8
crore readers between IRS Jan 2018 and IRS April 2019. There exists a huge headroom for
future growth, with ~25% population currently constituting the readership bracket - of the
~80 crore ‘Can Read Population’ (Urban + Rural). The circulation figures are
also increasing concurrently, with the Audit Bureau Circulation (ABC) revealing that the
Indian newspaper industry witnessed a CAGR growth of 4.87% over a 10-year period from 2006
to 2016. Further, Hindi newspaper circulation registered growth of 8.76% CAGR.
Largest Newspaper group of India : Maintaining the Momentum
In tandem with the industry trend, the Dainik Bhaskar Group has also maintained its
leadership as the Largest Newspaper Group of Urban India, as per the latest Indian
Readership Survey 2019 Q1 (Main + Variant, AIR-Urban and excluding financial dailies).
Significantly, Dainik Bhaskar is also Urban India’s No. 1 Newspaper in NCCS A, NCCS B
& NCCS AB segment (IRS 2019 Q1, AIR - Urban and Main + Variant). Dainik Bhaskar Group
stands as torchbearer of readership growth. As per recent IRS Survey, all Hindi newspapers
collectively add 93.27 lakh new readers; Dainik Bhaskar adds 63.55 lakh new readers; a
growth of 13.71% (IRS 2019 Q1 , TR and Main + Variant) majorly in legacy markets of Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and in newer markets of Bihar.
We are also pleased to share that this growth story extends across all the key states,
including Rajasthan and Bihar, where, as per AIR – Urban + Rural and Main + Variant ,
Dainik Bhaskar added 8.93 lakh readers (growing by 18%), and 2.03 lakh new readers
(growing by 16%), respectively. The fact that this distinctive performance is spread
across markets as diverse as these two states underscores our ability to create and
sustain strong relevance in differentiated environments.
We are happy to share that Our success story spans all our business segments,
facilitating continued and sustainable growth across our Radio segment.
Radio Business Adds to the Strength
In the Radio segment, D. B. Corp Ltd. continues to be the largest player in the Rest of
Maharashtra and No. 1 in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh. We have strategically focussed on aligning our Radio offerings to the
specialised needs of our audiences across states.
We have also evolved a robust and clearly defined programming/content plan to
strengthen audiences and advertiser connect. Phase 3 stations are already EBIDTA positive
and profitability has been achieved on the back of strong inventory management, programme
profile, strong cost efficiencies and the growing popularity of the channel.
Digital Complements & Supplements the Print Strategy
Led by the strong demand in this segment, we continued to strengthen our Digital
presence, focussing on technology for continuous optimisation, better user engagement and
maximising ROI for our stakeholders. ‘WisdomNxt’, our in-house analytics and
data intelligence proprietary tool, supports the editorial team with real-time insights on
content. We added the ability to predict the virality of content to make ourselves even
more connected with the contemporary needs of audiences.
Our newly launched Dainik Bhaskar+ app has strengthened this connect, as the largest
news and information app in its category. The range of technologically superior features
of the app, available on Android and iOS platforms, has helped us carve a unique niche in
Hindi digital news space. I am pleased to share that DB+ App is the only news app in the
country to win Gold in the prestigious Hermes Creative Awards in Mobile & Web-based
Technology Section.
What we see ahead is a plethora of opportunities that we are fully geared to leverage
at the back of our customer-oriented business philosophy. We remain committed to enhancing
our customer proposition to deliver content that is relevant and engaging. We shall also
continue to focus on creating a world-class user experience, benchmarked to global
standards of quality, for our consumers.
We are confident that this strategic approach shall propel enhanced growth for the
Company for many decades to come.
On this note, let me take this opportunity to thank the Board of Directors,
stakeholders and our team for their unwavering support, which enables our continued
transformation in the ever-changing industry and consumer milieu.
Best Regards,
Sudhir Agarwal
  Â
D B Corp Ltd
Company History
D B Corp Limited (DBCL) is India's largest media conglomerate with presence across Print, Radio and Digital. The company is headquartered in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, with over 11,000 employees across the country. As India's largest print media company, DBCL publishes 6 newspapers - Dainik Bhaskar (46 editions), Divya Bhaskar (9 editions), Divya Marathi (6 editions), Saurashtra Samachar, DB Star and DB Post in 4 languages i.e., Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English. DBCL is present across 12 states in India with a footprint in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Bihar. DBCL is the only media conglomerate that enjoys a leadership position in multiple states, in multiple languages and is either a clear leader or a formidable player in all its major markets.
The company's other business interests span across radio and digital mediums. In the FM radio segment, the brand has a strong presence in '94.3 MY FM' available in 7 states and 30 cities creating a valuable package to advertisers in Tier II and III cities, where Dainik Bhaskar is already a leader in its print business.
DBCL also has a strong online presence with 9 Internet portals with a very formidable and strong position in almost 67% of Indian language media space, in terms of Unique Visitors and Page Views. Further, it is the dominant No.1 digital player in various Indian languages, i.e., Hindi and Gujarati, alongside 4 actively available and well-used mobile apps - Dainik Bhaskar and Divya Bhaskar.
D B Corp Ltd was incorporated on October 27, 1995 with the Multi-Tech Energy Ltd. In December 1, 2005, the name of the company was changed from Multi-Tech Energy Ltd to D B Corp Ltd. As per the scheme of arrangement, the business of publication, including the assets and liabilities, intellectual property rights, employees and printing of newspaper under the title 'Dainik Bhaskar' and 'Divya Bhaskar' and the wind farm business of Writers and Publishers Ltd were transferred to the company as a going concern with effect from April 1, 2005.
In the year 2006, the company launched Ujjain, Sagar editions of 'Dainik Bhaskar' and Rajkot Edition of 'Divya Bhaskar'. Also, they launched a new edition of 'Dainik Bhaskar' in Punjab. The company's subsidiary, Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd acquired 17 licenses for their FM Radio operations and also launched operations in Jaipur.
In the year 2007, the company launched Hindi edition of 'Dainik Bhaskar' from Ludhiana. They launched new edition of 'Divya Bhaskar' in Gujarat. Also, they entered into a publication license agreement with Diligent Media Corporation Ltd to print, edit, publish, circulate, and market the Newspaper DNA-Daily News & Analysis including its supplements, 'After Hrs.', 'DNA Sport', 'DNA Academy', 'DNA Life', 'DNA ME' and 'DNA YA' in the entire state of Gujarat. The company's subsidiary, Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd launched 13 FM radio stations at various locations in India. In June 2007, as per the scheme of arrangement, the internet division of Indiainfo was transferred to the company.
In the year 2008, the company's new brand 'DB Star' was published from Indore and Bhopal. They launched 'Business Bhaskar' in Bhopal, Indore, Raipur, Panipat, New Delhi, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Also, they entered into a publication license agreement with Diligent Media Corporation Ltd to print, edit, publish, circulate, and market editions of DNA-Daily News & Analysis including its supplements, 'After Hrs.', 'DNA Sport', 'DNA Academy', 'DNA Life', 'DNA ME' and 'DNA YA' in the entire state of Rajasthan. Their subsidiary, Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd launched three FM radio stations at Kota, Jabalpur and Raipur.
During the year 2008-09, the company launched Dainik Bhaskar in Jagdalpur, Bhilai, Nagour, Pali, Ratlam, Shimla and Dehradun. In September 2008, they launched Business Bhaskar in New Delhi. In January 6, 2010, the equity shares of the company were on listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
In August 2010, the company launched the new edition of Dainik Bhaskar in Ranchi. In September 2010, the company launched Dainik Bhaskar at Bhatinda in Punjab and Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh. Also, the company launched full fledged printing centres in Sirohi and Barmet in Rajasthan for their brand Dainik Bhaskar to further strengthen their readership.
During the financial year ended 31 March 2014, D B Corp Limited (DBCL) delivered a robust operating performance amidst a challenging market environment. Focus on sustaining and extending leadership in core markets, consistent focus on operational efficiencies as well as strong performance across print and non-print segments have enabled the company to report significant growth. Associations with leading media brands for exclusive, unique content and realignment of corporate sales and marketing strategy with the aim of providing greater focus to advertisers at every state level has contributed extensively in achieving the growth.
With the necessary strategic platform already set at the start of the year, the company was able to capture higher ad revenue from regional markets under various segments.
In Maharashtra, the company launched new editions at Akola and Amaravati. Divya Marathi maintained strong growth momentum across all 7 editions during the year. Apart from further building readership in the existing markets, the company also entered into the state of Bihar with the launch of Patna edition in Q4 March 2014.
On the infrastructure front, the company continued to invest in upgrading the printing facilities to provide quality product at all the locations and building efficiencies of advanced technology.
On the corporate front, DBCL integrated its internet and interactive mobile services business which was housed in its wholly-owned subsidiary I Media Corp Ltd. (IMCL) by demerging the same from IMCL and merging into DBCL. The demerger, which was approved by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Principal Seat at Jabalpur vide its order dated 27 March, 2014, became effective from 1 April 2013 (Appointed Date). This demerger brought the 3 major segments viz. Print, Radio & Internet under one company. As a result of this demerger, DBCL's wholly-owned subsidiary IMCL now carries out only events related business.
During the year, DBCL sold its entire stake of 51 % held in Divya Prabhat Publications Private Limited (DPPPL) to Mr. Prabhat Sojatia and Mr. Sunil Sojatia by terminating the Shareholders' Agreement dated 1 October, 2011 executed between the two companies and members of the Sojatia family. Accordingly, DPPPL had ceased to be a subsidiary of DBCL effective close of business hours on 30 June 2013.
During the financial year ended 31 March 2015, D B Corp Limited (DBCL) continued to focus on strengthening its presence in the existing markets of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in its print media business.
D B Corp Limited (DBCL) implemented advertisement yield strategy agenda, by taking a substantial hike in print media advertising rates, at the beginning of financial year 2015-16. It faced some resistance from advertisers and media agencies initially and hence, the advertising revenue growth witnessed yearly decline.
During the year, DBCL successfully completed its Bihar roll-out. The company launched new editions in Bhagalpur, Gaya and Muzaffarpur, besides, 7 district editions, thus extending its reach and presence to the entire geography of Bihar.
The company launched a broadsheet English language newspaper 'DB Post' from Bhopal. DB Post is a compact, smart product catering to the youth and English readership. It was launched as a crisp product to fill an important reader demand in the region, and has met with satisfactory interest.
During the year, the company launched Money Bhaskar App, the first Multi-lingual Business app in India on the iOS and Android platforms.
DBCL's Radio Business continued to perform exceptionally well in 2015-16. During the year, the radio business bagged new station license for 13 new radio stations in major Tier II cities of India, in majority of which DBCL has presence in print business as well.
With regard to Digital Business, www.dainikbhaskar.com introduced video bulletin that enables the users to see and hear the news rather than just reading it crossing a 13 million video view during the month of March 2016. It helped to increase engagement and to cross the language barrier and tap the English reader who also watches Hindi video.
During the year, www.moneybhaskar.com was launched in Gujarati for more localized and focused business news catering to the large Gujarati diaspora and business community.
DB Digital introduced two new websites gadgets.bhaskar.com and food.bhaskar.com during the year under review.
DB Digital saw a phenomenal growth in FY 2015-16 in terms of Unique Visitors (UV) and Page per Visit (PV). DB Digital subsuming of eleven digital portals has breached 1,197 million PV and 34 million UV mark.
During the financial year ended 31 March 2017, D B Corp Limited (DBCL) maintained its focus on editorial strategy which has led to significant improvement in quality of editorial content, greater readership delight and growth. As per Press In India Report 2015-16 prepared by Registrar of Newspapers of India (RNI), Dainik Bhakar becomes the nation's largest circulated multi-edition daily. Dainik Bhaskar was awarded ISO-9001:2015 certification for Quality Management Systems in its newspaper distribution function and is probably the only newspaper organisation in India to receive such certification.
The company's Radio Business continued to perform exceptionally well in FY 2016-17.
DB Digital saw a phenomenal growth in FY 2016-17 in terms of Unique Visitors (UV) and Page per Visit (PV). During FY 2016-17, DB Digital leveraged its various assets. DBCL introduced a live video streaming platform called Bhaskar Live' and a UGC video platform for its readers to share their live feeds and reach out to 90 million users.
On 1 August 2016, DBCL launched its real estate portal homeonline.com. It offers end to end services to home buyers from purchase to shifting into new house offering value added services - Vaastu compliance, home decor, furnishings, maintenance, etc. In a span of 8 months, Homeonline.com served more than ~100K property seekers online, connecting 10,000+ property owners with home seekers in Bhopal and Raipur.
During the year under review, DBCL diluted its entire shareholding in I Media Corp Limited (IMCL) to DB Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. (DBIPL) for a lumpsum consideration, thereby making it a step-down subsidiary of the company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of DBIPL.
During the year, DBCL consolidated its shareholding held in DBIPL by purchase of 5,000 shares from the minority shareholder. The said purchase was in accordance with the terms of Share Subscription and Shareholders' Agreement dated 16 April 2015 executed by the company with the minority shareholder and DBIPL. Consequent to the purchase, DBIPL has become wholly-owned subsidiary of DBCL.
As per the terms of Share Subscription and Shareholders' Agreement executed by DBCL with DBIPL and the minority shareholder, DBCL had subscribed to 10,00,000 0.01% Compulsorily Convertible Debentures (CCDs) of Rs. 10/- each. As per the terms of issue, the said CCDs were converted into equivalent number of equity shares and accordingly 10,00,000 equity shares of face value of Rs. 10/- each were allotted to DBCL by the Board of DBIPL.
During the year under review, upon recommendations of the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors of DBCL at its meeting held on 19 January 2017 approved a Composite Scheme of Arrangement and Amalgamation between DBCL and its subsidiaries; I Media Corp Limited (IMCL / Transferor Company) and DB Infomedia Private Limited (DBIPL / Demerged Company / Transferee Company). Under this Composite Scheme, IMCL was proposed to be amalgamated into DBIPL and thereafter, the Internet Business of DBIPL was to be hived-off / demerged into DBCL. The said Composite Scheme was approved by the Board of respective subsidiary companies as well. However, at the meeting held on 18 May 2017, the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Audit Committee, re-evaluated the validity of the above Scheme and came to the conclusion that in light of the current business environment, the proposed Composite Scheme will no longer give any extra benefits to the company and its stakeholders. Hence, a decision was taken to withdraw the Composite Scheme of Arrangement and Amalgamation as aforesaid and not to be acted upon further.
During the financial year ended 31 March 2018, D B Corp Limited (DBCL) maintained its focus on editorial strategy which has led to significant improvement in quality of editorial content, greater readership delight and growth. Dainik Bhaskar newspaper continues to be the Nation's largest circulated multi-edition daily as per Press In India Report 2016-17 prepared by the Registrar of Newspapers of India (RNI).
During FY 2017-18, the company's circulation strategy was complemented by strong editorial and product enrichment efforts along with unique and impactful reader engagement initiatives.
During the year under review, the company executed a challenging and ambitious Circulation Expansion strategy in its legacy markets of Rajasthan, Gujarat and in the newer market of Bihar. The circulation copies increased from an average of 50.4 lakh copies at the start of the initiative in July 2017 to 57.9 lakh copies by the end of the year i.e. a growth of around 15% in a 9-month's period; and this entire circulation increase was achieved at a higher cover price.
Dainik Bhaskar also marked their expansion into Gujarat and launched the Surat edition on 30 April 2017, establishing a strong presence in a large cosmopolitan city with almost 28 lakhs of the non-Gujarati speaking population. Dainik Bhaskar successfully tapped the existing potential amongst Surat's non-Gujarati speaking, multicultural, industrialised households, who have migrated from neighbouring states like Rajasthan, NCR, Punjab, Haryana UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.
The company's Radio Business continued to perform exceptionally well in FY 2017-18. MY FM completed the fastest roll out of all 13 newly acquired stations under Batch I of Phase III and expanded the company's reach to 7 states across 30 cities, being the largest player in the Rest of Maharashtra and No. 1 in Chandigarh / Haryana / Punjab / Rajasthan / Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Innovative and unique activation initiatives were undertaken throughout the fiscal that strengthened 94.3 MY FM's connect with listeners and leading consumer brands alike.
During the year under review, DB Digital's focus was strongly on technology for continuous optimisation, better user engagement and maximising ROI to advertisers. DB Digital launched Wisdom' an in-house analytics and data intelligence proprietary tool that supports the editorial team with real-time insights on content.
The company's real estate portal homeonline.com served more than ~1.3 mn home-seeking users online, connecting 80,000+ home seekers with property owners/ builders in Bhopal, Raipur, Indore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. More than 75,000 properties and 900+ projects were made available to home seekers in Bhopal, Raipur, Indore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
DBCL's shareholders approved Buyback proposal for buy-back of up to 92,00,000 fully paid-up equity shares of Rs. 10/- each (being approx. 5% of the total paid-up equity share capital of the Company as on 31st March, 2018) at a price of Rs. 340/- per equity share on a proportionate basis through tender offer for an aggregate amount of Rs. 312.80 crore (excluding transaction cost viz. brokerage, applicable taxes such as securities transaction tax, stamp duty and goods and service tax, etc.). The approval for Buyback proposal was accorded by the shareholders of the company by passing the enabling Special Resolution through Postal Ballot as per statutory requirements in this regard, the results of which were declared by the company on 7 July 2018. The Record Date for determining the eligibility of the shareholders to participate in the Buyback is set as 18 July 2018. The company will be completing the Buyback within 12 months from the date of Special Resolution passed approving the proposed Buyback.
During FY 2019, the Company launched new readers' engagement scheme Run Banao Karodon Ke Inaam Paao' to encash the ensuing cricket season - starting from India-Australia series, followed by IPL and then ICC World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan was roped in as an ambassador to garner interest among non-readers, which duly reflected in the circulation number.
In FY 2019, the Company launched Mahabharat 2019' an exclusive drive at Pan-India level on Lok Sabha election with the introduction of special election jacket and special election pages. The initiative continues to gather huge readership appeal through various special properties on election with the aim to bring extensive ground coverage and in-depth analysis for its readers.
MY FM concluded a massive 360-degree campaign Aapki Marzi' for its listeners in Maharashtra in order to keep the content in sync with the listeners' expectations. Marathi content was expanded across the stations in the state, basis the feedback received. MY FM launched this new show to infuse fun, positive and light-hearted listening during the late evening time featuring the non-clich on-air friend Dev' in FY19.
In FY 2019, the company launched Paison ka Ped' in 11 cities - India's First Radio Reality Show where people from various walks of life are selected through a series of auditions and interviews.
In FY 2019, MY FM Jashn' concluded in Jaipur and Indore. Events were starred by two mega artist Vipul Goel (Stand-up Comedian) and Kavi Sammelan Kumar Vishwas and Team which was attended by over 10,000 audiences in both the cities.
In FY19, MY FM concluded the largest painting competition in Tier II and III markets with a participation of ~2.7 Lakh kids for Rangrezz' Season 5.In Print business, the Hansa Research Group undertook a commissioned Bihar Readership Research in July 2018 to gauge the readership of various Hindi Newspapers, their readership profile, key product consumptions, readers' engagement and brand satisfaction. As per this readership report, Dainik Bhaskar was at No. 2 position with an Average Issue Readership (AIR) of 9.11 Lakh, while the legacy player had an AIR of 9.98 Lakh readers.
D B Corp Ltd
Directors Reports
To
The Members, D. B. Corp Limited
Your Directors have pleasure in presenting to you the 23rd Annual Report together with
the Balance Sheet and Statement of Profit and Loss for the year ended March 31, 2019.
| Financial Highlights (Standalone Results) |
|
Rs. in Mn. |
| Particulars |
2018-19 |
2017-18 |
| Revenue from operations |
24,627 |
23,112 |
| Other Income |
166 |
238 |
| Total Revenue |
24,793 |
23,350 |
| Operating expenditure |
19,584 |
17,472 |
| EBITDA |
5,209 |
5,878 |
| EBITDA Margin |
21.0% |
25.2% |
| Finance Cost |
85 |
67 |
| Depreciation & Amortisation |
986 |
922 |
| Total Expenditure |
20,655 |
18,461 |
| Profit Before Tax |
4,138 |
4,889 |
| Provision for Tax |
1,399 |
1,645 |
| Profit After Tax (PAT) |
2,739 |
3,244 |
| PAT Margin |
11.0% |
13.9% |
Financial Highlights (Consolidated Results)
|
|
Rs. in Mn. |
| Particulars |
2018-19 |
2017-18 |
| Revenue from operations |
24,627 |
23,112 |
| Other Income |
166 |
237 |
| Total Revenue |
24,793 |
23,349 |
| Operating expenditure |
19,585 |
17,474 |
| EBITDA |
5,209 |
5,875 |
| EBITDA Margin |
21.0% |
25.2% |
| Finance Cost |
85 |
67 |
| Depreciation & Amortisation |
986 |
924 |
| Total Expenditure |
20,656 |
18,465 |
| Profit Before Tax |
4,137 |
4,885 |
| Provision for Tax |
1,399 |
1,645 |
| Profit After Tax (PAT) |
2,738 |
3,240 |
| PAT Margin |
11.0% |
13.9% |
| Dividend as % of face value per share |
100% |
10% |
Review of Performance, Operational Highlights and Future Outlook
India has been the growth leader amongst major economies including Emerging Markets and
Developing Economies (EMDEs) over the last five years. According to International Monetary
Fund World Economic Outlook (October-2018) - GDP (nominal) of India in 2018, India is now
the seventh largest economy of the world. It is behind sixth ranked France and fifth
ranked United Kingdom and is expected to overtake them in 2019 when India’s economy
is expected to reach US$ 2,958 billion. India will be ranked third in 2019 on the basis of
purchasing power parity (PPP).
The Indian economy started the fiscal year 2018-19 with a healthy 8.2% growth in the
first quarter on the back of domestic resilience. However, growth declined in every
subsequent quarter bringing the annual growth to 6.8% compared to 7.2% in FY 2017-18. The
decline in growth has been attributed to a combination of global and domestic factors
including rising global financial volatility, normalised monetary policy in advanced
economies, externalities from trade disputes, investment rerouting and a slowdown in
domestic consumption and investment impulses.
D. B. Corp Limited’s (DBCL) performance for the fiscal year 2018-19 needs to be
viewed in the context of aforesaid economic and market environment forces. DBCL delivered
another year of resilient performance aided by market development strategies,
establishment of long term customer relationships and well planned execution of on-ground
marketing efforts.
Your Company maintained its focus on editorial strategy which has led to significant
improvement in quality of editorial content, greater readership delight and growth.
As per the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2019 Q1, the Dainik Bhaskar Group has
maintained its leadership as the Largest Newspaper Group of Urban India. The Dainik
Bhaskar newspaper continues to hold the No. 1 position as the largest read newspaper of
NCCS A, NCCS B and NCCS AB. The Dainik Bhaskar Group stands as the torch bearer of
readership growth, adding 63.55 Lakh new readers. This translates into a growth of 13.7%,
majorly in the legacy markets of Madhya Pradesh - Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana,
Punjab, Gujarat and in the new market of Bihar.
The other key highlights of the abovesaid survey are:
Dainik Bhaskar is Urban India’s No.1 Newspaper (IRS 2019 Q1 | AIR –
Urban | Main + Variant)
Dainik Bhaskar Group is Urban India’s No.1 Newspaper Group
(IRS 2019 Q1 | AIR – Urban | Main + Variant | excluding financial dailies)
Dainik Bhaskar is Urban India’s No. 1 Newspaper in NCCS A, NCCS B & NCCS AB
segment
(IRS 2019 Q1 | AIR – Urban | Main + Variant)
Dainik Bhaskar has added 8.93 Lakh readers, grows by 18% in Rajasthan, based on
AIR – Urban + Rural
Dainik Bhaskar grows by 16%, adds 2.03 Lakh new readers in Bihar, as per AIR
– Urban + Rural
As per ABC circulation reported data for July - December, 2018, the Company continues
to maintain No.1 circulated newspaper of India as well as leadership in Madhya
Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab (4 urban Cities),
besides maintaining close No. 2 formidable position in other markets.
Dainik Bhaskar successfully added 76,212 (average per day) copies in Rajasthan over the
past one year, complemented by the increase in readership in the same state, with the
growth of 18% in AIR (Urban + Rural).
As part of other significant developments, the following are noteworthy:
A focused and well-executed circulation expansion strategy has delivered excellent
readership results which are recently published. Dainik Bhaskar Group stands as Torch
bearer of Readership growth. As per recent IRS Survey, all Hindi Newspapers added 93.27
Lakh new readers whereas Dainik Bhaskar added 63.55 Lakh new readers, a growth of 13.7%
majorly in legacy markets of Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab,
Gujarat and in newer market of Bihar.
MY FM is maintaining leadership position in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and continues to be the largest player in Rest of
Maharashtra. Phase III stations’ bottom line is now positive on the back of strong
inventory management, programme profile, strong cost efficiencies and growing
popularity.
As a part of DBCL’s digital business,www.dainikbhaskar.com, the largest Hindi News
website, continues to secure the No. 1 spot in Hindi News and www.divyabhaskar.com
continues to remain No. 1 Gujarati website.
Digital business intensified its focus to further strengthen loyal user base and
potential monetisation of the platform. It adapted new strategy for user acquisition by
moving away from social journalism to serious knowledge-based news journalism, a key to
our brand, to build a higher loyal customer base.
Performance highlights of the Company during the year under consideration are as
follows:
Standalone revenue from operations and other income was Rs. 24,793 Million witnessing a
growth of 6.2% as compared to Rs. 23,350 Million in the previous year.
Standalone advertising revenue grew by 7.4% to Rs. 17,625 Million which includes
revenue from print, radio, digital and event business.
Circulation revenue grew by 5.1% to Rs. 5,237 Million from Rs. 4,981 Million largely
driven by increase in copies. Circulation revenue has witnessed CAGR growth of around 10%
for past 10 years driven by increase in copies and rate growth.
The consolidated gross revenue increased by 6.2% to Rs. 24,793 Million as compared to
Rs. 23,349 Million in the previous year.
EBITDA margin of matured business stands at 25.1%.
Major Campaigns / Events during the year
Launched new readers’ engagement scheme ‘Run Banao Karodon Ke Inaam
Paao’ to encash the ensuing cricket season - starting from India-Australia series,
followed by IPL and then ICC World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan was roped in as an ambassador to
garner interest among non-readers, which duly reflected in the circulation number.
Launched ‘Mahabharat 2019’ an exclusive drive at Pan-India level on
Lok Sabha election with the introduction of special election jacket and special election
pages. The initiative continues to gather huge readership appeal through various special
properties on election with the aim to bring extensive ground coverage and in-depth
analysis for its readers.
MY FM concluded a massive 360-degree campaign ‘Aapki Marzi’ for its listeners
in Maharashtra in order to keep the content in sync with the listeners’ expectations.
Marathi content was expanded across the stations in the state, basis the feedback
received. MY FM launched this new show to infuse fun, positive and light-hearted listening
during the late evening time featuring the non-clich on-air friend
‘Dev’.
Launched ‘Paison ka Ped’ in 11 cities - India’s First Radio Reality Show
where people from various walks of life are selected through a series of auditions and
interviews.
Final 30 go through a series of tasks holding the branch of a tree to win cash prize of
Rs.3 Lakh / 5 Lakh.
‘MY FM Jashn’ concluded in Jaipur and Indore. Events were starred by two mega
artist Vipul Goel (Stand-up Comedian) and Kavi Sammelan Kumar Vishwas and Team which was
attended by over 10,000 audiences in both the cities.
‘Rangrezz’ Season 5 - MY FM concluded the largest painting competition in
Tier II and III markets with a participation of ~2.7 Lakh kids.
Print Business
The Print Business of DBCL has delivered top of the industry results with 7.3%
advertising growth over last year and circulation growth of 5.1% over last year. The
circulation expansion strategy has yielded better than expected results with Dainik
Bhaskar becoming No.1 newspaper of Rajasthan.
The Hansa Research Group undertook a commissioned Bihar Readership Research in July,
2018 to gauge the readership of various Hindi Newspapers, their readership profile, key
product consumptions, readers’ engagement and brand satisfaction. As per this
readership report, Dainik Bhaskar was at No. 2 position with an Average Issue Readership
(AIR) of 9.11 Lakh, while the legacy player had an AIR of 9.98 Lakh readers.
Emerging Editions / Business
In order to analyse the performance of the Company, its divisions / editions are
segmented into emerging and matured editions / business as any new edition / business
launched takes long for stabilisation and for earnings.
Disclosure on Compliance with all Secretarial Standards
All the applicable Secretarial Standards are complied with by the Company during FY
2018-19.
Significant and Material Orders passed by the Regulators
There were no significant and material orders passed by the Regulators / Courts /
Tribunals which would impact on the going concern status of the Company and its future
operations.
Policy Regarding Prevention of Sexual Harrassment at Work Place
The Company has constituted an Internal Complaints Committee (‘ICC’) which
looks into complaints of sexual harassment. The victim or a person on victim’s behalf
may lodge a formal complaint through a dedicated toll-free Hotline, Website, Email or
Post.
During the year under review, only one complaint was received by the Company which was
attended to and closed on priority. No. of complaints received during the year: 1 No. of
complaints disposed off: 1 No. of complaints pending at the end of the year: Nil
Human Resources and Industrial Relations
Your Company has the reputation for having one of the best HR Departments in the media
and allied industries. It has conceptualised and implemented various Human Resource
Policies towards betterment of its 9,700+ employees. It maintains a continuous
focus on attracting, developing and retaining talent, with the belief that people are its
most important differentiator. To ensure sustainable growth and prepare for the future,
the Company has been strengthening its talent management, performance management and
employee engagement processes.
During the year, it continued to build a high-trust, high-performance culture
while endeavouring to build a strong talent pipeline by engaging and hiring talent
from renowned campuses, building capabilities. Internal talent grooming is at the core of
the organisation. Since a few years, your Company has been implementing structured
programme for identification and grooming of high potential people.
Your Company fosters a culture of employee and their family well-being by offering
various types of policies and employee benefits. Two unique employee-connect initiatives
launched during the year under review were scholarship for meritorious children of
employees and Sukanya Samridhi Yojana. These were launched in the memory of the
Company’s beloved Chairman Shri Ramesh Chandra Agarwal.
The Company also continues to connect with employees through its trend-setting policies
for their welfare like Aapaat Nidhi (a critical medical exigency fund),
Saubhagyawati Bhav (assisting employees financially for their daughters’ marriages),
Shubh Laxmi (welcoming the birth of girl child), Sparsh (gift on the occasion of the birth
of a male child), option to take leave on special occasions (on the anniversaries of
employees, family members’ birthdays, paternity & bereavement, etc.).
The HR Culture in the Company has evolved over last 8 years or so from a primitive
looking Human Resource function using excel sheets to store employee data, manual payroll
processes, no formal assessment procedures to one of the best software using HR function.
General
Your Directors state that no disclosure is required in respect of the following matters
as there were no transactions during the year under review, in relation to:
1. Issue of Equity Shares with differential rights as to dividend, voting or otherwise.
2. Issue of Sweat Equity Shares.
3. Non-exercise of voting rights directly by the employees in respect of shares
purchased under a scheme pursuant to Section 67(3) of the Act read with Rule 16(4)
of Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014.
Acknowledgements
Your Directors take this opportunity to express their thankfulness and profound
gratitude to the Shareholders, Banks, Financial Institutions, Clienteles, Vendors, Central
/ State Governments and other governing authorities, for their support, continued backing,
co-operation and guidance.
|
For and on behalf of the Board of Directors of |
| D. B. Corp Limited |
|
| Sudhir Agarwal |
Pawan Agarwal |
| Managing Director |
Dy. Managing Director |
| DIN: 00051407 |
DIN: 00465092 |
| Place: Mumbai |
|
| Date: July 18, 2019 |
|
| Encl.: Annexure A to E |
|
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D B Corp Ltd
Company Background
| Incorporation Year | 1995 |
| Registered Office | P No280 Near YMCA Club Makarba,Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway
Ahmedabad,Gujarat-380051 |
| Telephone | 91-79-39888850,Managing Director |
| Fax | 91-79-39814001 |
Sudhir Agarwal| Company Secretary | Anita Gokhale |
| Auditor | Price Waterhouse Chartered Accountants LLP |
| Face Value | 10 |
| Market Lot | 1 |
| Listing | BSE,MSEI ,NSE, |
| Registrar | KFin Techologies Pvt Ltd
Karvy Selenium Tow-B,31&32 Financial Dist,Nanakramguda ,Hyderabad-500032 |
D B Corp Ltd
Company Management
| Director Name | Director Designation | Year |
|---|
| Sudhir Agarwal | Managing Director | 2019 |
| Girish Agarwal | Director | 2019 |
| Pawan Agarwal | Deputy Managing Director | 2019 |
| Piyush Pandey | Independent Director | 2019 |
| Ashwani Kumar B Singhal | Independent Director | 2019 |
| Harish Bijoor | Independent Director | 2019 |
| Anita Gokhale | Company Secretary | 2019 |
| Anupriya Acharya | Independent Director | 2019 |
D B Corp Ltd
Listing Information
| Listing Information |
|---|
| BSE_500 |
| BSE_TECK |
| CNX500 |
| BSESMALLCA |
| CNXMEDIA |
| BSEALLCAP |
| GOODSSERVI |
| SML250 |
| MSL400 |
D B Corp Ltd
Finished Product
| Product Name | Unit | Installed
Capacity | Production
Quantity | Sales
Quantity | Sales
Value |
|---|
| Advertisement Revenue | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1762.482 |
| News Papers | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 519.02 |
| Sale of Services | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 125.772 |
| Other Operating Income | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50.72 |
| Magazines | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.703 |
| Magazines (Copies) | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Newspaper (Copies) | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sales | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sale of Power | Uni | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cold Set Machines | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| heat Set Machines | No | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| wastage Sale | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Event Managment Services | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |