MUMBAI: New Delhi Television (NDTV) has decided to implement a salary cut for employees from 1 April as a cost-cutting measure on the back of decreasing ad revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Says the BSE filing of NDTV: “The management of NDTV Group has been forced to implement a salary cut, effective 1 April, of between 10-40 per cent based on income slabs for a period of three months across its employee base.”

The group points out that it won’t implement a salary cut for those employees who earn Rs 50,000 per month or less than that. It also said that the salary deduction step for three months is subject to detailed review at the end of the period.

NDTV, in its filing, says that this measure is the result of uncertainty surrounding the recovery of the global and Indian economy. And, the falling economic situation has forced the group to undertake certain cost-cutting measures with immediate effect.

The nation-wide lockdown due to the COVID-19 situation has put all business plans on backtrack. The news channels, lately, have been facing the burden of high operating costs with no or fewer ad sales.

The News Broadcasters Association, in this regard, has urged the government to either reduce, remove or bring the goods and services tax on advertisement in line with print media. Currently, the GST on advertisement in the broadcast industry is at 18 per cent, whereas in print media it is at five per cent.