MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) and its subsidiaries for the quarter ended 31 December 2019 on Tuesday. For the third quarter of FY20, ZEEL reported consolidated revenue of Rs.20,48.7 crore. EBITDA was Rs.5,65.8 crore with an EBITDA margin of27.6 per cent.

During the third quarter, ZEEL's consolidated advertising revenue declined by 15.8 per cent YoY to Rs. 12,30.8 crore. Domestic advertising revenues declined by 15.7 per cent YoY to Rs. 11,57 crore. Domestic advertising revenue was impacted by the continued slow-down in key consumer sectors.

“As the volume growth for most consumer companies did not see any uptick during the quarter, they cut advertising spends to protect their margins. While the festive month of October saw a pick-up in advertising spends, the growth slumped post that. The growth was also impacted due to a higher base and the effect of conversion of two channels from FTA to pay in March. We believe that the worst phase is behind us and the growth should revert to normal trajectory from next fiscal,” ZEEL stated in a press statement.

ZEEL's consolidated subscription revenue grew by 15.4 per cent to Rs. 7,13.7 crore during the quarter. Domestic subscription revenue grew by 21.7 per cent Yo Y while the International subscription revenue declined by 17.4 per cent Yo Y.

During the quarter, the television network had an all-India viewership share of 18.2 per cent. While its regional portfolio increased its viewership share, share in the Hindi speaking markets declined.

Zee TV maintained its weekday prime time leadership, but lost weekend prime time share and was the number 3 channel in the pay Hindi GEC segment during the quarter.

The network’s regional portfolio had mixed performance during the quarter. Moreover, its maintained leadership position in the Marathi, Bangia and Kannada markets, with Zee Kannada further strengthening its leadership position, widening the gap over the nearest competitor.

Viewership shares in Marathi and. BangIa markets declined during the quarter ehile Zee Tamil improved its viewership share, Zee Telugu witnessed a marginal decline. Zee Keralam, continued to gain share in the Malayalam market establishing itself as a strong contender for the number two position. Zee Sarthak regained leadership in the Odiya market towards the end of the quarter.

During the quarter, ZEEL's International business revenue was Rs. 1,66.5 crore. The advertising and subscription revenues declined by 18.6 per cent YoY and 17.4 per cent YoY, respectively.