HT Media found its beginning in 1924 when its flagship newspaper, Hindustan Times was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. HT Media (BSE, NSE) has today grown to become one of India's largest media companies.
Produced by an editorial team known for its quality, innovation and integrity, Hindustan Times (English newspaper) and Hindustan (Hindi newspaper through a subsidiary Hindustan Media Ventures Limited),Hindustan Times is the choice for nearly 3.7 million readers across India, who turn to it daily for news, information, analysis and entertainment. Hindustan, the group's Hindi daily, continues to be the second-largest daily in the country with a total readership of 36.6 million,(based 0n Indian Readership Survey (IRS) for the first quarter (Q1) of 2011. Both dailies enjoy a strong brand recognition among readers as well as advertisers.
In addition to Hindustan Times, HT Media also publishes a national business newspaper, Mint. Mint is a one-of-its-kind newspaper in the sense that the company has an exclusive agreement with the Wall Street Journal to publish Journal-branded news and information in India. Mint is today the second-largest business newspaper in India with presence in the key markets of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Pune, Kolkata and now Ahmedabad too.
HT Media has also made its foray into electronic media. Diversifying its ambit of operations, the company in a consulting partnership with Virgin Radio, has launched the FM radio channel - Fever 104. Currently available in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, Fever 104 has established a strong presence as being one of the most vibrant channels on air. In a short span, the channel's rise has been meteoric considering its position in Mumbai and Bengaluru at No. 1 and in Delhi as the No. 2 station on the popularity charts.
Internet businesses of HT Media incorporated under Firefly e-ventures, operate leading web portals Hindustantimes.com and livemint.com in the general and business news categories respectively. The company's job portal Shine.com which has received high appreciation from consumers and industry for its innovative design and usability crossed 7 million registrations. Desimartini.com -a platform to discover and express oneself on movies. The company also has an education portal www.HTCampus.com aimed at students passing out of school and college to help them take the right decision about their higher education.
Financially, the Company was ahead of the industry in more ways than one. On a consolidated basis, its revenues grew by 25% to reach Rs. 1,815 Crore, EBITDA grew by 26% to reach Rs. 365 Crore, net profit grew by 33% to reach Rs. 181 Crore. Revenue growth was driven by a 22% increase in advertisement revenue within the print segment, which reached Rs. 1,395 Crore from Rs. 1,141 Crore in the previous fiscal and an impressive 63% increase in revenue from the Radio & Entertainment segment from Rs. 43 Crore in FY 10 to Rs. 70 Crore this year. This robust revenue growth has been partially offset by a significant increase in cost of raw material, reaching Rs. 628 Crore in FY 11 from Rs. 476 Crore in the previous year, due to higher circulation and newsprint prices.