HT Media Limited

HT Media Limited

24.15
INR
+0.23
(+0.96%)
1.78EPS
5.09BMarket Cap
Nov 10Next Earn

Q1 FY2027 · Earnings Call TranscriptAugust 5, 2026

Aditya Malani

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is Aditya Malani from the HT Media Group.

I would like to welcome you all to our Quarter 1 Financial Year 2026-27 earnings webinar. As a reminder, all the participants will be in listen-only mode.

After we are through with the presentation, there will be an opportunity for you to ask questions. I now hand over to Ms.

Anna Abraham, HT Media Group's Deputy CFO, Chief Financial Officer HMBL, and Head Investor Relations. Thank you, and over to you, Anna.

Anna Abraham

Thank you, Aditya. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to this webinar.

Today on the call with me is Mr. Piyush Gupta, Group CFO; Mr.

Pervez Bajan, Head Financial Controllership and Taxation; and members of the Investor Relations team. We hope you've had an opportunity to review the results of Hindustan Media Ventures Limited and those of HT Media Limited.

We will be discussing the same at the webinar today. Please note that our discussion will follow the presentation slides, which along with the financial statements are available on the stock exchanges and in the Investor Relations section of our website.

Before we start the presentation, kindly keep in mind the cautionary statement on this slide. We would not, as a per usual practice, be giving any specific guidance on revenue or earnings projections.

Moving on to slide 3, this provides the Chairperson's message on the company's performance for the concluded fiscal quarter, and I quote: "We began the financial year on a steady note, with consolidated revenue growing year on year and profitability improving in tandem. Print remained the anchor of the business, with advertising revenue continuing to grow year on year and circulation revenue remaining resilient.

The growth in profitability was achieved on the back of steady advertising revenue and disciplined cost management. However, elevated newsprint prices, a weaker rupee, and global supply chain uncertainties are causes for concern going forward.

Radio revenue remained broadly steady year on year. The segment is now operating on a leaner and more sustainable footprint following the surrender of licenses for certain nonviable stations.

Digital revenue moderated during the quarter as we deliberately reset the portfolio around leaner, more focused offerings with the intent of driving sustainable and profitable growth. Beyond the quarter's operating performance, the board approved a preferential issue last month, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.

The proposed issue is a proactive step towards strengthening the company's capital structure, streamlining its debt profile, and providing capital for general business requirements. As we begin the financial year, your continued confidence and support remain central to our purpose.

We remain focused on strengthening our core businesses, delivering trusted journalism and quality content, and creating sustainable long-term value for all our stakeholders." End of quote.

Moving on today's agenda, we will begin with the performance update focusing on consolidated financial results, followed by an overview of our print, radio, and digital business segments. After the presentation, we will open for Q&A session.

With this, I now hand over the call to Piyush for the main presentation.

Piyush Gupta

Thanks, Aditya. Thanks, Anna.

We will be tracking on the webinar. On your screen, you can see the consolidated financial summary and a recap.

Operating revenue led the y-o-y top-line growth. Sustained cost discipline resulted in margin expansion, and cash position remained robust.

To quickly deep dive into the numbers, as you can see, total revenue grew by 15%, coming at 497 crores, with EBITDA going up nearly 3x to 90 crores, with a margin expansion of 12 points. PAT improved substantially to 47 crores, and PAT margin also improved to 9%, and a net cash position remains a very healthy 922 crores.

Now going into the business unit performance, print, the segment revenue grew on the back of advertising performance. Circulation remained steady, both annually and sequentially, and margins for the quarter at 13% despite high commodity rates.

As you can see, the ad revenue grew 15% to 295 crores. Circ revenue was virtually flat at 52 crores.

Operating revenue, therefore, at 376 crores, which is a 16% increase. Operating EBITDA improved substantially to 50 crores, with the margin at 13%.

Deep diving a little into the print segment, as you can see, the advertising revenue grew 12% to 156 crores versus the same quarter last year. Sequentially, there was a decline, but that seasonality sitting there.

Circulation revenue grew 14% to 13 crores. On Hindi, again, we saw a increase on a y-o-y basis, revenue coming to 139 crores, and circulation revenue remaining flat.

Radio, again, the top line was flat, now with operating EBITDA coming at a -3 crores. On digital segment, operating revenue were down by about 48%, and operating EBITDA was a -3 crores, with a margin at -12%.

With that, we come to the end of the presentation.

Aditya Malani

Thank you, Piyush. We will now begin the Q&A session.

You can click on the raise hand option, which will enable the moderator to unmute you for posing your query. Please introduce yourself before posing your queries, and kindly restrict to a maximum of two to three questions per participant, so that we may be able to address questions from all participants.

Also, as is the ambit of this call, please be mindful to pose questions pertaining to the listed entity HT Media Limited and those within its consolidated structure. We will wait for a few moments while the question queue assembles.

The first question is from the line of Ranga Prasad. Please unmute yourself and ask your question.

Ranga Prasad

Good afternoon, everyone.

Piyush Gupta

Good afternoon, Mr. Prasad.

Ranga Prasad

It is indeed heartening to know that the management's decision to shut down loss-making verticals is bearing fruit. The losses from the discontinued operations have come down substantially.

If the present trend is indicative, our company is on a road to sustained profitability. However, in this regard, I find one thing quite puzzling: the management's decision to go for a preferential offer of equity shares, conceivably to reduce debt.

You had just indicated that our net cash position is very healthy at 922 crores. Right?

Even until the last quarter, the shareholders were in fact wondering if the company plans to return some cash on hand to the shareholders. Now suddenly, the management has felt the need to raise additional equity capital, that too through a preferential offer of equity shares at a lower rate of around ₹24, while the book value of a share is around ₹70.

This will result in a sharp fall in the book value per share, in addition to diluting the share of the existing public shareholders by 15%. Just at a time when the company is showing indications of getting into sustained profitability, the shareholders who had held on to their stake in the company through thick and thin are being diluted.

If the company wanted to raise additional funds, the shareholder interests would be better served if this were done through a rights issue. That way, the stake in the company would not get diluted.

I request the management to clarify as to why they preferred to raise additional funds through a preferential offer rather than through a rights issue. If at all possible, the ongoing preferential offer of equity warrants should be withdrawn in the interest of the public shareholders.

Thank you. Some comments, please.

Piyush Gupta

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments, Mr. Prasad.

The first point where you commended the company for a wonderful performance, we thank you. As we had been continuously, every quarter, indicating to the investors that we are carefully monitoring all our incubating businesses, and if they don't turn profitable, indeed the company and the management will take a call, and hence we had taken a call.

You have already seen the profitability numbers improving in this quarter, and again, on a sustainable basis, we believe that they will go from strength to strength. That's on point number one.

On point number two, let me just lay out a couple of big points, and then I'll request my colleagues to also jump in into this one. We have a very substantially healthy balance sheet position with net cash at 922 crores, but you have to understand that all that cash is parked in HMVL.

HT Media and Digicontent Limited, which is not here, where the preferential issues being done, are both indebted companies, are running a net debt position. At this point in time, though money can be given to HMVL shareholders in the way of dividend or buybacks and so on and so forth, there is no free cash or surplus cash sitting in either HT Media or Digicontent Limited.

As you can see, those preferential issue has been only called for in HT Media and DCL. They have not been done in HMVL, which is already sitting on a surplus cash.

That's the point I'd like you to consider because what we are showing you, 922, is at a consolidated HT Media level, and this is not bifurcating between HT Media HT Media separately and HMVL separately. Coming on to the pricing and dilution, we don't believe that is the case, because you have to understand that currently the price-to-book ratio is less than 0.5.

The pricing of the preferential issue has been done strictly on the basis of a SEBI formula, and the higher of 10-day or 90-day VWAP prices. We have not put it onto any premium on that number.

Being the least controversial, we have just stuck ourselves to the SEBI formula, and that's how it is being priced. Once the preferential capital come in, this money will be used to retire the debt.

At least 1/3 of the debt, or 30% to 50% of the debt will be retired, which will definitely be accretive to the EPS and long-term interest coverage ratio, our credit rating, and so on and so forth. All the cash that is sitting in HMVL will be deployed as per the board directions of HMVL.

That's a separate listed company with a separate board and separate set of shareholders, minority and majority, those guys will take call. HT Media, for all the business plans that it has, can definitely do with a lesser debt profile, and so can DCL.

I would stop here. If there are any other questions, we can take that.

Or if my colleagues would like to jump in on any point, happy if they want to contribute.

Anna Abraham

There was a question about rights issue also. Vis-a-vis the rights issue would have meant a longer process.

Preferential issue is a slightly shorter process. There is greater certainty of fundraising because there was a quantum that was being targeted to reduce the debt.

It is not necessary that the same quantum would get put in through a rights issue. In case of an undersubscription, the process works where the unsubscribed shares are given to an underwriter, which itself becomes a quasi-preferential allotment with inferior pricing guidelines, actually, vis-a-vis the pricing guidelines of a pref issue.

As a company, it was felt that the pref issue will deliver the requirement of

Piyush Gupta

Mr. Prasad, I think it's a faster process, pref issue.

It is two to three months faster. It gives you a greater certainty of fundraising, and there is no risk of undersubscription, because you've already done outreach and engaged with the investors, and are pricing the issue on the basis of a SEBI formula.

I think those are the three high notes or the point that my colleague just alluded to. I hope that answers your question.

Ranga Prasad

Thank you. Thank you.

Piyush Gupta

Okay.

Aditya Malani

Thank you. The next question is from the line of Mehul Pathak.

Please introduce yourself and ask your question.

Mehul Pathak

Can you hear me?

Piyush Gupta

Yes. Hi.

Good afternoon, Mehul.

Mehul Pathak

Yeah. Hello, Piyush, Anna.

Congratulations on a good set of numbers after such a long time. At least this call has something positive to look forward to.

I hope you will be able to keep up these numbers for the next three quarters also of this year.

Piyush Gupta

Yes, Mehul. Thanks for the kind words.

Obviously, we do some forward planning, which obviously we don't give any forward guidance, but looking at various scenarios, we are very hopeful that we'll be able to keep up a good set of numbers going into future as well.

Mehul Pathak

See, Piyush, even if you keep these numbers for the next three quarters, we might end up with an earning per share of 6, and on a book value of 70, the return on equity is still lesser than 10. It is lesser than the cost of capital in our country.

Even then, I would say that we are not doing justice to capital in the country and capital in the company even at these profits that we are earning. That is something for you all and the board to look at.

Now coming to what Mr. Ranga Prasad said, I had given some thought to the preferential issue that you are raising.

Now the preferential issue pricing, while you might say that you have followed the SEBI guidelines, legally, technically you are right, but still there's a moral dimension to it. Ethical dimension to the whole thing.

Now in HT Media, if I just value the stake in HMVL, that itself is ₹51 a share. It has 1,187 crores of net worth.

If I divide that by 23 crore shares outstanding, 51.75 is what I'm getting. Now here you are, and you add all the businesses of HT Media also, and if you calculate the intrinsic worth of our company, it should be around ₹140 or ₹150 a share.

Now the promoters are issuing preferential issue at 24.7, which according to me is ludicrous. You are basically telling that my company is valued at ₹24 a share, and at ₹24 a share, we are less than 1,000 crores, when HMVL itself is 1,500 to 1,600 crores.

The whole thing is completely out of whack. Now the voting has opened, and I have voted against the resolution for self and family members.

I would say, seriously, preferential issue, even if SEBI is right, it is a reputation issue, and we should withdraw the preferential issue. Or at least, I would say, the preferential issue has to be priced above ₹100.

You have to show that the promoters are following the highest standards of corporate governance. No, this is not meant to be a question, okay?

I would request the board and the promoters to withdraw the preferential issue and listen to us shareholders.

Piyush Gupta

Okay. Okay.

Mehul, let me

Mehul Pathak

Consider my feedback, huh? Piyush, one more thing.

There are many other ways in which you can raise capital. There's so many loss-making businesses.

There is Shine, and there is whole lot of options available. I would say that I am not seeing in your justification to Mr.

Ranga Prasad also that you all have considered other options. If other options are making losses or not giving adequate return on capital, I am telling those businesses should be sold, and we should remain in media.

Piyush Gupta

Yeah. No, I think that's a very fair point.

Mehul, let me attempt to engage with your question at two or three different levels. One is, why is this preferential issue good or not, or the anti-thesis of that from a company point of view?

Second, you raised a question about moral dilemma or moral ethics, etc., at the promoter level. Third, other ways of unlocking capital, to say.

Look, I totally take your point that HMVL, you mean basically dividing the net worth by total number of outstanding share comes to a certain number, but the market is valuing at 1/3 that number. That's been a perpetual challenge, and on various call, even before this call, I think the company's frustration, but we don't react to short-term share prices.

For the longest time, it has been less than 0.5 times the book value. We all understand the share has been priced under, but really there's nothing that you can do with it.

The second point that you have to consider, and you have to read it in conjunction with this whole stuff is, why are we doing this pref issue in those companies? Things which are in our control is we can retire the debt.

What the promoters are bringing in at exactly the same terms and conditions capital till their regulatory max in the company, which means they are wholeheartedly subscribing to the same formula in which all the third-party shareholders are bringing in capital. This will help the company improve the EPS in the short term, and of course give it more flexibility to deploy capital on various other ventures that they want to do going forward.

Now coming into this whole thing of various other ways of unlocking capital, I think Mr. Ranga Prasad did mention, and I'm just reiterate.

On OTT Play, we had been directing all the investors that we will, sooner rather than later, take a call, and we took all stakeholders along with this. You've seen circa 31st March 2026, we have taken that decision, and hence you're seeing the improvement in the financial position on this in the first quarter result, which is sustainable, which will go forward.

All the other things that you are saying, we don't give any forward statement, but I think you should not presume that the company is not looking at all other options available to kind of to maximize the capital or cut losses or increase EPS, etc. All those options are on the table, and they are being discussed right up till the board level.

Saying that from a highest level of morality or ethics, etc., etc., someone is shortchanging, I think the only way that you can talk about a share price is that share price in the stock market. We all understand it's an undervalued share, but really I can't do much because that's not where the market is valuing us.

We are doing what is in the best possible interest of the company, and within our means, raising fresh capital to retire debt, give us capital flexibility to invest in businesses which can create long-term sustainable value for all shareholders, majority or minority. I'll stop there.

If you've got any questions, happy to take those.

Mehul Pathak

Can I seek a clarification question on this? Can I ask one more question, please?

Look, Piyush, in the past, whenever we have discussed share price, you have always reiterated that we are not bothered about the share price. We are not looking at the share price.

We just want to keep on doing the right things in this business. Now I am saying that when convenient, you are then moving to the share price as per SEBI regulations.

I'm saying there is no consistency in the statements. The second thing is that a couple of years ago, I had asked this question in the AGM on debt, that why are we taking debt, and I was told that we are not using debt in the business, and we are using debt only for treasury purposes, and if you're making money on treasury, why should we not show that treasury operation on the debt side?

This is the first time I am coming to know that you are using debt in the business, and the Chairperson herself has said that we are debt-free and we are not using debt for any business purpose.

Piyush Gupta

Mehul, yeah, let me just answer that. I think we publish our balance sheet every year for HT Media, HMVL, Digicontent Limited, all the companies.

I think, is there debt sitting in HT Media? It has been now sitting for the last 3 to 4 years.

It is not a fresh information that I'm giving here. In this particular call, we are showing a combined net cash position, hence you see the numbers that you see, but this is not fresh information.

Debt has been building in HT Media for the last 4, 5 years post-COVID because of the English operations and radio operations, etc., etc. This is not any fresh information, and we are just trying to retire the debt.

I stop here.

Mehul Pathak

Piyush, you have said that we are not using debt for business, it is only for treasury. I am just saying that consistency is not there.

The Chairperson herself has said, you go back to the minutes of the AGM, passed. She has herself made this statement.

Piyush Gupta

That is a comment either from a HMVL perspective or a consolidated number perspective. In HTML, that argument cannot hold.

As we look at the results and look at the transcript, please you also have a look at the transcript.

Mehul Pathak

Theiek hai. When you please convey our shareholders' message to the board, and even if we are a minority, our voting against the resolution should at least be introspected.

Piyush Gupta

No, no. We respect that, Mehul.

See, look. I can only tell you this.

We are raising capital to retire debt, improves EPS, which will be helpful to everyone. We have priced the issue on SEBI.

The only other thing we could have done is priced it at a premium, which would have meant the dilution for everyone else. We have not gone down that route.

I think I stop there, and that's basically the only objective. In the company which have a net debt position, the company which has cash, you obviously not raising any capital fresh.

Aditya Malani

Moving on, the next question is from the line of Rohan Agarwal. Please unmute yourself and ask your question.

Rohan Agarwal

Hi, Piyush. Can you hear me?

Aditya Malani

Yes, Rohan. You are audible.

Rohan Agarwal

Yeah. Hi.

This is Rohan from Bay Asset PMS. Sorry, I joined the call a little late, I'm not sure if this was covered before.

I just wanted to speak regarding the other income jump that we've had in HMVL. I just wanted to know what's the nature of the income.

Is it treasury gains or is it one-off M2Ms on our investments? It would be helpful to know what it is and what can we expect other income to be going forward, because it's a significant part of the P&L.

Anna Abraham

Yeah. In HMVL, the other income, there is a substantial portion which is on treasury, and this time there's also profit on sale of assets which we have got.

Both are a reflection. The treasury gains is a function of the yield curve movement towards the end of the quarter, which has helped us have substantial gains.

There is volatility in the market, Rohan, we cannot predict it because the adverse global situation and the markets in US also tends to have a dependency on how we move in Indian markets as well. We are positioned well to make the best of the situations as these stabilize.

Rohan Agarwal

Got it. This current quarter's other income gain, a significant part of that, you're saying also is M2M gains on our investments, yeah?

Anna Abraham

In treasury gains, it's mainly mutual funds and the NAV-based profits, and not an MTM valuation-based profit.

Rohan Agarwal

I got that. What about our investments that we hold?

Is that what's

Anna Abraham

No, no. It is treasury, and it is actual realized profit on sale of [unclear] mutual funds.

Rohan Agarwal

Got it. Got it.

Cool. Cool.

Just my other question is on our print EBITDA margins. I see that's come down Q-on-Q.

I assume because of high newsprint costs. I just wanted if you could give us a little more color on how you see newsprint costs going forward, how would it affect the EBITDA margin for the rest of the year, safe newsprint costs remain the same, and do we hedge, or is there some sort of cost mitigation measures that we take place, or maybe any price increases on circulation that we do?

It would be helpful to know that.

Piyush Gupta

Hi, Rohan. Piyush this side.

Rohan, let me give you a slightly high-level question, see if that answers your question. See, newsprint for our print business is really the single biggest cost line item.

Depending on the price, it varies anywhere between 25% to 40% of the entire bill of material, including direct and indirect cost, right? At this point in time, post-COVID, and why I'm saying post-COVID, because COVID was the time when the newsprint prices per metric ton had reached the highest because of supply chain disruptions and so on and so forth.

After that, it had come down very substantially, but after that, this is the highest peak that we are seeing at about $650 to $700 a metric ton. We believe that the prices have peaked, and should plateau at this level before they start coming down.

Obviously, as a commodity, no one can predict. That's our best estimate.

We believe, if the prices don't go any further adverse from here on, we should be able to maintain our margins on the print business on the operating side very, very clearly. Newsprint, as I have always pointed or directed the investor community, that print, unlike other commodity, it doesn't have a forward market, there's no way that you can with certainty predict the forward prices.

It is what it is. What is also not helping is dollar is also at a lifetime high, and all the newsprint is priced in US dollars, so that effectively a double whammy on that cost line item.

Hopefully, we believe it's already peaked and should, at some point in time, start coming down, which will only help the margins. I hope that answers your question.

Rohan Agarwal

Sure. The EBITDA margin that we had this quarter for print, which is around 13%, should we expect that as sort of the baseline for the

Piyush Gupta

By and large, in your modeling, you can use that, but I've told you what the imponderables are. Let's say, theoretically, if the dollar goes to 100 and the commodity goes to 700, then suddenly you'll have a margin dilution.

From a modeling exercise perspective, I think that's a fair assumption to take.

Anna Abraham

In Q2 per se, as we look at it, there is a slightly higher newsprint price vis-a-vis Q1. Exact margins will be a function of the categories which advertise, the pricing we get, also which may or may not offset that.

Rohan Agarwal

Sure. Would you consider taking the cover price hike if warranted to

Anna Abraham

See, Rohan, I think over time, Hindi papers, for example, are well priced in term right now. Now over time, as the commodity prices increase, as in everybody has taken a price increase, a further price increase would be a little difficult.

We do take actions on the volume side to the extent possible without compromising on the product, on the reach, when there are such situations. Pricing per se, we may not have multiple levers.

Rohan Agarwal

Got it. Understood.

Thank you. Appreciate your answers.

Piyush Gupta

Thank you.

Aditya Malani

The next question is from the line of Yash Shah. Please introduce yourself and ask your question.

Yash Shah

Audible?

Piyush Gupta

Yes. Hi, Yash.

Can you hear us?

Yash Shah

Yes, I can. Congratulations on a good set of numbers.

Ad revenue has grown by around 15-odd percent at the print level, right? English and HMVL.

What has driven the business this time? Because what we're hearing is that this was a difficult quarter, but in spite of that, we are still showing a mid-double-digit growth.

What's contributed? Is it on account of volume or is it on account of pricing that we've increased?

Anna Abraham

Difficult quarter is more from a cost side pressure. Otherwise, it's been a reasonable quarter, actually, from a revenue perspective.

We have seen commercial revenues holding from a volume perspective. We have had a benefit of yield improvement there.

With respect to government revenues, we have a combination of both volume and pricing. As that the government has increased the rates for all the publications towards November of last year.

Of course, for the next two quarters, we will have that. We are cycling lower pricing from a government revenue perspective.

That also has helped. Combination of volume and pricing with both commercial and government revenues have grown.

Piyush Gupta

Yash, if I may just add to what Anna has said, look, we've been we've been consistently saying that we are focusing a lot on yield improvement. This quarter, I think it's substantially standing out that all our efforts have paid heed here.

A substantial part of that revenue growth of 15% is driven by up-pricing. Of course, government gave us gave gave us a price price increase in November last year, but that was after seven years.

Please remember the word as changing seven years. Our yield improvement program is definitely helping us.

Whether, I I think it's a good set of numbers. We hope that this continues, but let's see.

Time will tell.

Yash Shah

For commercial, if I can summarize, it was the yield that mostly or the pricing that got us higher, right?

Piyush Gupta

Yeah.

Anna Abraham

Volumes have also held.

Yash Shah

Okay. Majorly, it's on account of the pricing increase.

Anna Abraham

Yes. Yeah.

Yash Shah

If I may ask, what is the government share to the overall ratio? Because that might not be much.

Piyush Gupta

We don't exactly share that number, but it's substantial. When I say substantial, it's definitely a reasonably good number, but commercial is infinitely a bigger block of revenue.

Anna Abraham

Government has always been a decent component of revenues for all print publishing.

Yash Shah

Okay. What has happened on the circulation front for HT English?

I can see that it has grown by around 14%. Is it on the back of copies, or have we increased any prices in the past quarter?

Piyush Gupta

Actually on the circulation, I think it's a steady-state circulation. I think those numbers that you are seeing statistically looking like bigger percentages, but we are, market by market, holding on to our copy share that we want to keep in major English markets, because your question is on HTML.

Percentage might be vitiating here and there, but copy, I think, no drastic action on pricing up, pricing down, cutting copies, introducing copies have been taken. It's a pretty steady-state circulation, and likely to be like that in the current competitive sphere.

Yash Shah

Sorry, I didn't get that. Basically, have the copies gone up, or has the price increased?

Because 14%, I know the number is pretty small, 13 versus 12.

Anna Abraham

It's mostly pricing, but it's a function of a mix in play, line versus subscription, and also the discounting that happened.

Piyush Gupta

Yash, my only point is 14 as a percentage might look big, but absolute number, as you yourself said, is pretty inconsequential, which can have multiple levers which can swing either way: subscription, copy mix, line, copies mix, overweighing little copies in a particular market versus underweighing. This is, more or less, by and large, a steady-state copy level that we are maintaining, which we are likely to maintain for some time.

Anna Abraham

₹1.5 crores is this point. 14% sounds large, but it's only about ₹1.5 crores.

Yash Shah

Okay. In HMVL, there seems to be a spike in the other operating income.

I believe it was around 10 last year first quarter, and this time it's 20.

Anna Abraham

Yeah. That includes some amount of job work income and scrap sales and all of that, and yeah, there is a increase in all of this.

Yash Shah

Almost double?

Piyush Gupta

As I was saying earlier, Yeah, just hold on.

Yash Shah

Sorry, I didn't get that. Hello?

Anna Abraham

There is increase in other operating income in HMVL from the other lines.

Yash Shah

Job work and the other Yes. That's it.

Okay. Just one last question.

I believe there has been some reduction in this employee costs versus previous year and slightly against previous quarter.

Anna Abraham

Sorry, your voice broke. Can you repeat that, please?

Yash Shah

I'm saying there has been some reduction in the employee cost that I'm seeing.

Anna Abraham

Yeah. This is HMVL or consol level that you are talking?

Yash Shah

I'm talking about the consol first. I can see it has gone to 99 approximately from 111 in the last year.

Consol.

Piyush Gupta

We've been driving efficiencies. I think that's something that we've been saying for the past.

I think we've been right-sizing the organization, and that's basically what it is.

Yash Shah

That's across HT and HMVL both, right? Because both are showing some reduction.

Piyush Gupta

Yes.

Yash Shah

Okay. Okay.

All right. Thank you.

Aditya Malani

Next question is from the line of Mahima. Please introduce yourself and ask your question.

Mahima, you will have to unmute yourself first. Yes.

Mahima

Hello, am I audible?

Anna Abraham

Yeah.

Mahima

Hello. Congratulations for your result, sir.

I was referring to the previous question. There seemed to be some ambiguity regarding the financials of HT Media and HMVL.

Sir, I was wondering if it would be more appropriate for the shareholders to receive the financial information of two listed companies separately, as it could provide some greater clarity and transparency.

Piyush Gupta

Mahima, if I'm not mistaken, we do provide it separately. HMVL's results were published yesterday, and HT Media's standalone and consolidated results have been published today.

All the three different financial statements are separately published.

Mahima

No, sir, I was talking about the concall. Concall.

Yeah.

Piyush Gupta

Look, we'd much prefer to do it the way that we are doing it right now, and feel free to ask a question either on HMVL or HT Media, but we rather have one concall addressing the shareholders of both the companies, if that's okay with you.

Mahima

All right. All right, sir.

Piyush Gupta

Thank you.

Aditya Malani

Thank you all. With this, we come to the end of the Q&A session.

If you have any further queries, please reach out to the Investor Relations team. Our contact details are given in the investor presentation and are also mentioned on our websites.

I now hand over to Piyush for closing remarks.

Piyush Gupta

Thank you, Aditya. Thank you, dear friends, for joining our Quarter 1 FY '27 earnings call.

We are very happy with the set of numbers that we have pulled out for this quarter. We hope that we repeat this performance going forward.

With this, I look forward to seeing you next quarter, and thank you very much.