|
LISTED
media giant GMA Network Inc. is mulling over the sale of
its 49-percent stake in a real-estate company, noting
that it is not part of its core business.
In an
interview, chairman and president Felipe Gozon said the
network will consider the disposal of its ownership in
Mont-Aire Real Estate Corp. if a good offer comes along.
Mont-Aire
manages a 5.3-hectare property in Tagaytay City and
currently houses residential units. The other 51-percent
stake in the company is distributed among the Gozon,
Duavit and Jimenez families and other individuals.
“The
network is open to selling its stake because it is
considered as a noncore asset. As to how much, that has
to be evaluated first,” said Gozon.
GMA,
whose shares are traded at the stock exchange, is a
free-to-air media broadcasting company in the country.
Earlier,
it reported that its net profit for 2007 amounted to
P2.33 billion, up 19 percent from P1.96 billion the
previous year.
Consolidated revenues, on the other hand, reached P12
billion, 9-percent higher than the P11-billion revenues
it made a year earlier.
GMA
maintained its Mega Manila TV ratings lead last year.
Based on Mega Manila TV ratings data from AGB-Nielsen,
GMA posted an average total day rating of 17.7 percent
against ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.’s 14.3 percent.
Twenty-one of the top 25 overall TV programs for 2007
were from GMA, popularly known as the Kapuso network.
This
year, Gozon expects the network to perform even better,
especially with the completion of some significant
expansion projects in the provinces and improved reach
of its international channel Pinoy TV.
“The
first two months already indicated good results. This
year could be excellent,” he said.
The
company is allotting a capital expenditure of around
P665 million this year for the continued signal
improvement in the provinces, including Bicol, Batangas
and Dagupan. |
