Innholdsfortegnelse for 3-Oct-21 i Business Today

When the $25-billion streaming giant Netflix came to India in early 2016, it was seen as a major event in the country’s entertainment ecosystem. Armed with a massive armoury of global content and a brand that was perceived as a premium offering, Netflix went about the task of capturing Indian audiences. Initially, the premium brand identity and pricing (its top-end plan is priced at ₹799 per month) meant that consumers at the upper end of the market, familiar with global content, were the early adopters. Then came Reliance Jio which, with its aggressive pricing of data, completely disrupted the telecom space. Data prices came crashing down, providing a major boost to streaming services like Netflix. Cut to 2021. As the Reed Hastings-founded streaming service works through its sixth year in…

QUARTERLY ESTIMATES OF GVA AT BASIC PRICES Q1 (April-June) at 2011-12 Prices Financial, Real Estate & Professional Services ₹7,89,929 crore -5% 3.7% Manufacturing ₹5,43,821 crore -36% 49.6% Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing ₹4,86,292 crore 3.5% 4.5% Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication & Services ₹4,63,525 crore -48.1% 34.3% Public Administration, Defence & Other Services ₹3,79,205 crore -10.2% 5.8% Construction ₹2,21,256 crore -49.5% 68.3% Electricity, Gas, Water Supply & Other Utility Services ₹82,042 crore -9.9% 14.3% Mining & Quarrying ₹81,444 crore -17.2% 18.6% % Change over previous year in Q1, 2020-21 Q1, 2021-22…

CALL IT THE ZOMATO MOMENT. On July 23, as the foodtech major prepared to list on the Indian stock exchanges, it had everyone biting their nails, wondering if this was going to work. After all, Zomato had losses of ₹816.43 crore in 2020-21, but its valuation in the private funding space jumped from $3.9 billion (about ₹29,000 crore) in December 2020 to around $5.5 billion (a little more than ₹40,000 crore) in February this year. Would the public valuation match the private one? Would investors bite into a loss-making start-up’s story? Would the company’s private investors make a killing or get killed by staking their, um, stakes in the stock markets? Well, look at it how you will, but Zomato’s IPO was an unqualified success—it was subscribed nearly 23 times, and…

2016 Netflix debuts its streaming service in India in January. It also unveils the Downloads feature for on-the-go viewing. 2017 Opens India office; announces partnerships with DTH operators and telcos. Shows like Narcos and Stranger Things find a wide audience. 2018 Sacred Games drops its first season and is met with great success worldwide. Netflix enables members to pay for their subscription via mobile and broadband bills for certain service providers. 2019 Announces investment of ₹3,000 crore into content for two years. Also debuts its mobile-only plan for ₹199, and a host of original content. 2020 Launches its user interface in Hindi and its Top 10 row of titles. Organises a two-day-long free streaming programme called StreamFest in December. 2021 Announces 41 diverse Indian stories across formats, including films, series,…

→ Haulage charges included components such as terminal cost, traction/electricity cost, track maintenance and signalling, and telecommunication → The 30-minute exclusivity to private trains over any new train was available only for the first three years → Penalty in case of non-compliance with key performance indicators (KPIs) in the concession agreement. KPIs include punctuality, cleanliness and maintenance → The railway loco pilot and guard were to be deputed on private trains and the operator would have no administrative control on them → The private operator was liable to compensate passengers for injury or loss of life in case of an accident SOURCE: MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS OFFICIALS SAY DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDORS WILL MAKE PASSENGER OPERATIONS MORE FEASIBLE…

RONAK SHETH, Co-founder, Opium Eyewear, was a typical Gujarati food-loving person, till his early 40s. Then, life turned, as he changed his sedentary lifestyle. At 44, he bought a bicycle and started cycling daily. “Being over-protective, my parents never got me a cycle during my school days. I bought my life’s first cycle at the age of 44 years, around five years ago,” says Sheth. He recently cycled from Mumbai to Goa with five friends. “We would cycle around 100 km every day, taking three-four stops for meals. We covered the distance in six days,” he says. After Goan beaches, mountains were not far behind. Sheth went trekking to the Everest base camp. “It was my first trekking experience ever. Trekking makes you introspect. Standing about 19,000 feet above the…

What was the problem you were grappling with? When I took over the reins of Bajaj Electricals, I realised it needed a turnaround. Within a few months, it became obvious to me that piecemeal fixes won’t work. It required a major overhaul. Although as chief executive I had all the powers to make the changes, resistance to change came from all quarters and stakeholders. Undaunted, I pushed forward the change agenda, but soon earned an image of being impatient, aggressive and over-demanding! I had conviction, but reactions and pushbacks do impact one’s energy—this led to occasional bouts of reflection/doubt about how my actions were being perceived and understood. Who did you approach and why? A year down the line, I approached Rajiv Bajaj. He is a treasure trove of profound…

NJ Group is the largest mutual funds distributor in India. You have shown that it is possible to be on the investor’s side and yet enjoy stellar success… Formerly called NJ Advisory, NJ Asset Management is a SEBI registered Portfolio Manager which has been in the business of rule-based active investments for the last 11 years. As one of the biggest portfolio managers in the country, it currently manages over Rs 2,800 cr for more than 3,400 investors. Being in business over the last 11 years, we have gathered significant knowledge and deep customer insights, which have played a key role in our success in the industry today. Having had a great run as a distributor, we believe we are in a great position to now contribute as a participant…

This Tamil anthology of nine short films—each representing a human emotion and helmed by a well-known director—is co-produced by Mani Ratnam and Jayendra Panchpakesan. The series, which won an award at the International Emmys 2020, is based on the Nirbhaya case and is a fictionalised account of the Delhi Police probe into the incident. A simple man with a stable job is murdered and his wife is the main suspect. The wife, during the probe, reveals details about their troubled marriage, blurring the truth. The film is about a young woman—widowed a few months after her marriage—who struggles with her inability to grieve, her late husband’s family, and an insurance policy. Featuring Tamil superstar Dhanush, the film is about a nomadic gangster who must pick between good and evil in…

FOR PASSENGERS: → Modern rolling stock → World-class on-board experience → Faster travel at 160 kmph → No waiting lists FOR RAILWAYS/GOVERNMENT: → Expansion of revenue basket → Fixed haulage charges → Energy charges → Share in gross revenue → Domestic rakes under Make in India…

1 Wellness retreats have seen an increase in domestic tourists since Covid-19 struck 2 While resorts that were frequented by foreign tourists were hit, they managed to somewhat recover thanks to the surge in domestic travellers 3 Some properties are operating at reduced capacity for safety reasons, and some have raised prices; yet, this hasn’t curbed the enthusiasm of domestic travellers 4 Prominent hotel chains have also jumped into the fray with luxury wellness packages at star properties 5 Going forward, the focus is likely to be equally on domestic tourists and foreign ones, after international travel resumes…

''MARATHON training is like running a business—you learn to be consistent in your efforts and yet patient with the outcome over a long period of time,” says SUGAR Cosmetics Co-founder & CEO Vineeta Singh. Singh should know. She has been running marathons since her IIM-A days 15 years ago. What began as a thrill of competitive racing turned into a great combination of fitness and fun for her. So far, she has participated in 20 marathons, ultramarathons and about a dozen half-marathons. Prominent among them is the Ironman Triathlon, which she completed in 2017, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It involves a 3.8-km swim, a 180-km bicycle ride and a 42-km full marathon. She has also completed the 89-km Comrades Ultramarathon thrice, in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The benefits of starting her…

■ Private final consumption expenditure (PFCE), the single largest component of GDP, grew 19.3 per cent, after a 26.2 per cent fall during April-June 2020. ■ Gross capital formation (GCF), an indicator of investment demand, grew 56.7 per cent as against a 47.74 per cent contraction in the year-ago quarter. ■ Imports grew at a faster clip (60.2 per cent) than exports (39.1 per cent). Trade deficit was 1.9 per cent of GDP as against a surplus of 1.3 per cent in Q1 of FY21. PFCE: Private final consumption expenditure; GFCE: Government final consumption expenditure; GFCF: Gross capital formation…

Can you guess the names of the six most valuable US companies in 2004? They were GE, Exxon, Microsoft, Pfizer, Citi and Walmart. That’s right, not a single FAANG stock. Today, the top names are Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Tesla. The old order has made way for the new. Prepare yourselves, for such a change is coming to India, sooner than you think. The journey has begun. Less than 1 per cent of India’s market capitalisation is accounted for by digital- or internet-based enterprises. In the US, this number is 40 per cent. But, we already have 60 unicorns here and that number will probably grow to 200 by 2025. And that is a conservative estimate. Will we have our own FAANGs then? Sure, but maybe by another name.…

OVER THE PAST two decades, Founder and Co-CEO Reed Hastings has shaped Netflix from being a DVD rental service to a $270-billion market cap entertainment powerhouse, in the process transforming how the world consumes video entertainment. But while the pandemic came as a huge boost for its business, the terrain is turning trickier as consumers experience home viewing fatigue and rivals with deep pockets such as Disney, Amazon and HBO train their guns on this huge market. In India too, Netflix faces significant challenges from Amazon Prime and Disney + Hotstar. Hastings talks to BT’s Global Business Editor Udayan Mukherjee about streaming, competition, movies and the India journey, among other things. Edited excerpts: UM: I want to start from the beginning, Reed. Could you tell viewers in India how the…

JULY 1, 2020 ₹30,000-crore RFQ for private passenger trains announced in 12 clusters (109 origin-destination pairs) JULY-SEPT 2020 RFQs received by the railways, which begins evaluating them OCT 7, 2020 RFQs opened. As many as 120 applications received from 16 firms NOV 19, 2020 As many as 102 of the 120 applications found eligible for financial bidding DEC 2020 Indian Railways releases National Rail Plan to create capacity ahead of demand by 2030 DEC 2020–JUNE 2021 Multiple rounds of stakeholder consultations held JULY 2021 Financial bids opened; ₹7,500 crore of bids received against RFQ of ₹30,000 crore. Bids for only 29 of 109 pairs AUG 2021 Railway ministry continues deliberations on terminating the bidding process and inviting fresh bids RFQ: REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION SOURCE: MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS…

A MORE THAN 100 per cent surge in equity markets has encouraged many small investors to start trading or directly invest in stocks. They have also been encouraged by the wave of initial public offerings (IPOs) that have given stupendous listing-day gains. Over 10 million demat accounts were opened in 2020, which is a record. However, there is every chance that the easy gains of the past one year may make investors complacent and prone to taking riskier bets. Here’s how they can be cautious and yet partake of the bull market gains. The Bull Market After six to seven years of weak economic growth, we are at the cusp of economic revival. Companies are reporting good numbers despite the nation suffering the deadly second wave of the pandemic. The BSE…

UPSIDE AI Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer Kanika Agarrwal has always been a voracious reader. “The interest came organically to me. I used to read fiction, especially the likes of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I was also a Secret Seven girl. Now, it’s a much broader range.” One is not enough. Kanika devours three books at a time. One among them is always a light read. “At present, my light read is a fantasy fiction based on a Chicago-based detective. The other two books that I am reading are India After Gandhi and Noise by Daniel Kahneman. The former is the history of India after Independence, while talks about how individuals make exactly different decisions in a similar scenario.” Her reading media, just like her reading list,…

HARSH REALITIES The Making of Marico By Harsh Mariwala & Ram Charan ₹699 Penguin Random House India THE MOST DELICIOUS IRONY in Harsh Realities is Marico’s battle with the then Hindustan Lever for supremacy in the hair oil market. A phone conversation between the multinational’s Chairman, Keki Dadiseth, and Marico’s boss Harsh Mariwala provides a fascinating insight into the minds of these two protagonists. The offer to buy the Indian consumer company was unambiguous and in the event of Mariwala not agreeing to do so, the words uttered were, “Marico will be history.” If Dadiseth thought the Indian entrepreneur was a pushover, his assessment was hopelessly off the mark. Not only did Mariwala say no, he also lived to tell the tale and that, too, in the most remarkable way.…