Rating Rationale
November 02, 2018 | Mumbai
HT Media Limited
Rating outlook revised to 'Negative', rating reaffirmed 
 
Rating Action
Rs.250 Crore Non Convertible Debentures CRISIL AA+/Negative (Outlook revised from 'Stable' and rating reaffirmed) 
Rs.1500 Crore Commercial Paper CRISIL A1+ (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has revised its outlook on the non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of HT Media Limited (HTML) to 'Negative' from 'Stable' while reaffirming the rating at 'CRISIL AA+'. The short-term rating has been reaffirmed at 'CRISIL A1+'.
 
The outlook revision factors in CRISIL's belief that HTML's business risk profile may weaken over the medium term if operating performance takes longer than expected to recover. Revenue from operations declined 6.6% in the first half of fiscal 2019, compared with the corresponding period the previous year. The revenues were impacted by muted ad spends in key advertising sectors and timing of the festive season. Further, operating margin declined to 2% during the said period as compared to 15% in the previous fiscal. The margins were largely impacted by increase in raw material costs besides the negative leverage caused by the decline in revenues. Newsprint is a key input for the newspaper industry, accounting for majority of operating costs and has seen a price increase of more than 30% over the last few quarters.
 
The company expects operating performance to improve on account of the recent cover price increase, cost control measures, revenue boost on account of upcoming festive season and general elections. CRISIL believes that HTML's credit profile may weaken if recovery in the operating performance takes longer than expected.
 
The ratings continue to reflect the strong market position of the company's flagship English daily, Hindustan Times (HT), in the National Capital Region (NCR), and the established market position of its Hindi daily, Hindustan. The ratings also factor in HTML's strong financial risk profile because of adequate liquidity. These strengths are partially offset by increasing susceptibility of operating margin to volatility in newsprint prices & economic downturns, the investment phase of the company's digital and education businesses, and low profitability of HT's Mumbai edition.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the ratings, CRISIL has combined the business and financial risk profiles of HTML and its subsidiaries. This is because the entities, collectively referred to as HTML, are in related business and have common promoters.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Established market position of the publications: HT is the third largest English daily in India with a circulation 11.7 lakh copies during July-December 2017, as per circulation audit by Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC). Hindustan is also the third-largest circulated Hindi daily with 27.6 lakh copies for the same period as per the ABC data. According to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2017, Hindustan is the second most read newspaper among Hindi dailies, while HT is the second most read English daily. HT's strong market position in NCR and Hindustan's leadership position in Bihar and Jharkhand has helped HTML's overall business risk profile.
 
HTML has strengthened its position in the radio business through the launch of Radio Nasha in existing geographies of Delhi and Mumbai. The company is witnessing healthy revenue growth and operating margins in the radio business.
 
* Strong financial risk profile: Gearing was comfortable at 0.43 time as on March 31, 2018 (0.46 time as on March 31, 2017), while interest coverage and net cash accrual to total debt ratios improved to 7.8 times (5.2 times in fiscal 2017) and 0.39 time (0.30 time in fiscal 2017), respectively, in fiscal 2018. Cash accrual remained comfortable at Rs 464 crore during fiscal 2018. Capital structure is further strengthened by sizeable liquid surplus of Rs 2,926 crore as on September 30, 2018, which comfortably exceeded total debt of Rs 1,705 crore. Financial risk profile is expected to remain healthy over the medium term, supported by continued liquidity and absence of any large debt-funded capital expenditure/investment.
 
Weakness
* Investment phase for of the digital business, and low profitability of the Mumbai edition: Despite an established market position, healthy business risk profile, and revenue diversity, some of the company's business segments continue to be in the investment phase, thereby moderating overall operating profits and return on capital employed. The digital business will continue to be in the investment mode over the medium term, till the ecosystem develops for operations to gain traction. Moreover, although the Mumbai edition of HT has turned profitable from fiscal 2014, low profitability due to intense competition in the Mumbai market is expected to affect overall operating margin.
 
* Susceptibility of operating margin to volatility in newsprint prices and economic downturns: Business and financial risk profiles remain susceptible to sharp increase in newsprint prices and economic downturns. Newsprint is the key raw material for the newspaper industry accounting for about 40-50% of overall operating expenses. The prices of newsprint have increased sharply over the past one year due to a demand-supply mismatch at international level and a depreciating rupee. The newsprint prices are expected to remain elevated at current levels in the near term.
 
the six months ended September 30, 2018, the revenue growth was affected by slow growth in key advertising sectors while the operating profitability was impacted by increase in newsprint prices. The impact of economic downturn is particularly high in the case of English dailies such as HT and business dailies such as Mint, which depend more on national advertisers.
Outlook: Negative

CRISIL believes HTML's business risk profile may weaken if recovery in operating performance takes longer than expected while financial risk profile should remain strong over the medium term. The ratings may be downgraded in case the cash accruals are lower than expected, due to delayed recovery in ad spend or continued cost pressures. Conversely, the outlook may be revised to 'Stable' if margins improve significantly driven by improved macro-economic conditions and a correction in newsprint prices.
 .
Upside scenario
* Recovery in revenue growth or improvement in margins due to a correction in newsprint prices
* Significant scale up of operations with improved profitability, while sustaining financial risk profile
 
Downside scenario
* Lower-than-expected recovery in cash accrual
* Large debt-funded capex/acquisition or diversification into unrelated businesses leading to weakening of liquidity profile
* Weakening in market position of the publications due to intense competition

About the Company

Hindustan Times Ltd (HTL), a KK Birla group company, held 69.5% stake in HTML as on March 31, 2018. HTL demerged its print media business into HTML in July 2003. HT, the leading English daily in Delhi that was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1924, is HTML's flagship product. Other publications include Hindustan and Mint; a women's Hindi magazine, Kadambini; and a children's magazine, Nandan. HTML has presence in the FM radio space through Fever 104 FM and Radio Nasha; and has internet portals such as shine.com, htcampus.com, hindustantimes.com, livemint.com, livehindustan.com, and desimartini.com.
 
For the six months ended September 30, 2018, HTML reported net loss of Rs 30 crore on operating income of Rs 1,055 crore, against net profit of Rs 136 crore on operating income of Rs 1,129 crore for the corresponding period the last year.

Key Financial Indicators
As on / for the period ended March 31   2018 2017
Revenue Rs crore 2,346 2,452
Profit after tax Rs crore 352 219
PAT margin % 15.0 8.7
Adjusted debt/adjusted networth Times 0.43 0.46
Interest coverage Times 7.84 5.21
These are CRISIL-adjusted numbers and do not match directly with the numbers reported by the company

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments. The CRISIL complexity levels are available on www.crisil.com/complexity-levels. Users are advised to refer to the CRISIL complexity levels for instruments that they consider for investment. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of instrument Date of allotment Coupon rate (%) Maturity date Issue size
(Rs cr)
Rating assigned
with outlook
NA Debentures* NA NA NA 250 CRISIL AA+/Negative
NA Commercial Paper NA NA 7-365 days 1500 CRISIL A1+
*Not yet placed by the company
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2018 (History) 2017  2016  2015  Start of 2015
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Commercial Paper  ST  1500.00  CRISIL A1+  05-07-18  CRISIL A1+  21-12-17  CRISIL A1+    --    --  -- 
Non Convertible Debentures  LT  0.00
01-11-18 
CRISIL AA+/Negative  05-07-18  CRISIL AA+/Stable  21-12-17  CRISIL AA+/Stable  26-09-16  CRISIL AA+/Stable  10-11-15  CRISIL AA+/Stable  CRISIL AA+/Stable 
            28-09-17  CRISIL AA+/Stable      11-06-15  CRISIL AA+/Stable   
                    21-01-15  CRISIL AA+/Stable   
Short Term Debt  ST                  11-06-15  CRISIL A1+  CRISIL A1+ 
                    21-01-15  CRISIL A1+   
Short Term Debt (Including Commercial Paper)  ST          28-09-17  CRISIL A1+  26-09-16  CRISIL A1+  10-11-15  CRISIL A1+  -- 
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt

For further information contact:
Media Relations
Analytical Contacts
Customer Service Helpdesk
Saman Khan
Media Relations
CRISIL Limited
D: +91 22 3342 3895
B: +91 22 3342 3000
saman.khan@crisil.com

Naireen Ahmed
Media Relations
CRISIL Limited
D: +91 22 3342 1818
B: +91 22 3342 3000
naireen.ahmed@crisil.com

Sachin Gupta
Senior Director - CRISIL Ratings
CRISIL Limited
D:+91 22 3342 3023
Sachin.Gupta@crisil.com


Nitesh Jain
Director - CRISIL Ratings
CRISIL Limited
D:+91 22 3342 3329
nitesh.jain@crisil.com


Sani Vishe
Rating Analyst - CRISIL Ratings
CRISIL Limited
B:+91 22 3342 3000
Sani.Vishe@crisil.com
Timings: 10.00 am to 7.00 pm
Toll free Number:1800 267 1301

For a copy of Rationales / Rating Reports:
CRISILratingdesk@crisil.com
 
For Analytical queries:
ratingsinvestordesk@crisil.com


 

Note for Media:
This rating rationale is transmitted to you for the sole purpose of dissemination through your newspaper / magazine / agency. The rating rationale may be used by you in full or in part without changing the meaning or context thereof but with due credit to CRISIL. However, CRISIL alone has the sole right of distribution (whether directly or indirectly) of its rationales for consideration or otherwise through any media including websites, portals etc.


About CRISIL Limited

CRISIL is a leading agile and innovative, global analytics company driven by its mission of making markets function better. We are India’s foremost provider of ratings, data, research, analytics and solutions. A strong track record of growth, culture of innovation and global footprint sets us apart. We have delivered independent opinions, actionable insights, and efficient solutions to over 1,00,000 customers.
 
We are majority owned by S&P Global Inc., a leading provider of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide.
 
For more information, visit www.crisil.com 


Connect with us: TWITTER | LINKEDIN | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK

About CRISIL Ratings
CRISIL Ratings is part of CRISIL Limited (“CRISIL”). We pioneered the concept of credit rating in India in 1987. CRISIL is registered in India as a credit rating agency with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”). With a tradition of independence, analytical rigour and innovation, CRISIL sets the standards in the credit rating business. We rate the entire range of debt instruments, such as, bank loans, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, non-convertible / convertible / partially convertible bonds and debentures, perpetual bonds, bank hybrid capital instruments, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, partial guarantees and other structured debt instruments. We have rated over 24,500 large and mid-scale corporates and financial institutions. CRISIL has also instituted several innovations in India in the rating business, including rating municipal bonds, partially guaranteed instruments and microfinance institutions. We also pioneered a globally unique rating service for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and significantly extended the accessibility to rating services to a wider market. Over 1,10,000 MSMEs have been rated by us.


CRISIL PRIVACY
 
CRISIL respects your privacy. We may use your contact information, such as your name, address, and email id to fulfil your request and service your account and to provide you with additional information from CRISIL.For further information on CRISIL’s privacy policy please visit www.crisil.com.


DISCLAIMER

This disclaimer forms part of and applies to each credit rating report and/or credit rating rationale that we provide (each a “Report”). For the avoidance of doubt, the term “Report” includes the information, ratings and other content forming part of the Report. The Report is intended for the jurisdiction of India only. This Report does not constitute an offer of services. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, nothing in the Report is to be construed as CRISIL providing or intending to provide any services in jurisdictions where CRISIL does not have the necessary licenses and/or registration to carry out its business activities referred to above. Access or use of this Report does not create a client relationship between CRISIL and the user.

We are not aware that any user intends to rely on the Report or of the manner in which a user intends to use the Report. In preparing our Report we have not taken into consideration the objectives or particular needs of any particular user. It is made abundantly clear that the Report is not intended to and does not constitute an investment advice. The Report is not an offer to sell or an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment in any securities, instruments, facilities or solicitation of any kind or otherwise enter into any deal or transaction with the entity to which the Report pertains. The Report should not be the sole or primary basis for any investment decision within the meaning of any law or regulation (including the laws and regulations applicable in the US).

Ratings from CRISIL Rating are statements of opinion as of the date they are expressed and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, hold, or sell any securities / instruments or to make any investment decisions. Any opinions expressed here are in good faith, are subject to change without notice, and are only current as of the stated date of their issue. CRISIL assumes no obligation to update its opinions following publication in any form or format although CRISIL may disseminate its opinions and analysis. CRISIL rating contained in the Report is not a substitute for the skill, judgment and experience of the user, its management, employees, advisors and/or clients when making investment or other business decisions. The recipients of the Report should rely on their own judgment and take their own professional advice before acting on the Report in any way.

Neither CRISIL nor its affiliates, third party providers, as well as their directors, officers, shareholders, employees or agents (collectively, “CRISIL Parties”) guarantee the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the Report, and no CRISIL Party shall have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions therein, regardless of the cause, or for the results obtained from the use of any part of the Report. EACH CRISIL PARTY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, SUITABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE. In no event shall any CRISIL Party be liable to any party for any direct, indirect, incidental, exemplary, compensatory, punitive, special or consequential damages, costs, expenses, legal fees, or losses (including, without limitation, lost income or lost profits and opportunity costs) in connection with any use of any part of the Report even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

CRISIL Ratings may receive compensation for its ratings and certain credit-related analyses, normally from issuers or underwriters of the instruments, facilities, securities or from obligors. CRISIL’s public ratings and analysis as are required to be disclosed under the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (and other applicable regulations, if any) are made available on its web sites, www.crisil.com (free of charge). Reports with more detail and additional information may be available for subscription at a fee – more details about CRISIL ratings are available here: www.crisilratings.com.

CRISIL and its affiliates do not act as a fiduciary. While CRISIL has obtained information from sources it believes to be reliable, CRISIL does not perform an audit and undertakes no duty of due diligence or independent verification of any information it receives and / or relies in its Reports. CRISIL keeps certain activities of its business units separate from each other in order to preserve the independence and objectivity of the respective activity. As a result, certain business units of CRISIL may have information that is not available to other CRISIL business units. CRISIL has established policies and procedures to maintain the confidentiality of certain non-public information received in connection with each analytical process. CRISIL has in place a ratings code of conduct and policies for analytical firewalls and for managing conflict of interest. For details please refer to: https://www.crisil.com/en/home/our-businesses/ratings/regulatory-disclosures/highlighted-policies.html

CRISIL’s rating criteria are generally available without charge to the public on the CRISIL public web site, www.crisil.com. For latest rating information on any instrument of any company rated by CRISIL you may contact CRISIL RATING DESK at CRISILratingdesk@crisil.com, or at (0091) 1800 267 1301.

This Report should not be reproduced or redistributed to any other person or in any form without a prior written consent of CRISIL.

All rights reserved @ CRISIL