News Broadcasting
Turner Broadcasting system and Trans Media to launch CNN Indonesia
MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. and PT Trans Media Corpora have today announced a strategic partnership to launch CNN Indonesia, a 24-hour news channel and accompanying website in Bahasa Indonesia. This ground-breaking channel will be the first of its kind for CNN in Southeast Asia, delivering a localized version of CNN’s unique brand of high-quality news to the region’s most populous nation.
Jeff Zucker, CNN Worldwide President, said: “This agreement with one of the country’s largest media corporations puts CNN in a unique position to reach millions of Indonesians in a way that we have not been able to previously. The combination of the strength of the worldwide newsgathering power of CNN with the local perspective and sensibility that Trans Media will bring to the partnership enables us to provide important news and information to this enormous, non-English speaking audience.”
Chairul Tanjung, Founder and Chairman of Trans Media’s parent company, CT Corp, added: “I believe this partnership will help Indonesians to better understand the world and even more importantly, also help the world to better understand Indonesia. This is a partnership of two like-minded organisations who share common values of quality, integrity and transparency. CNN Indonesia will be the new destination for trustworthy and engaging content.”
The TV channel will be accompanied by a strong digital presence, including CNNIndonesia.com. With more than 100 million Indonesians expected to be online by 2016, a multi-platform brand will be a vital and complementary component to the on-air offering.
In addition to engaging leading local journalists to generate compelling coverage, the channel will also tap into CNN International’s vast pool of journalistic talent and share content from global affiliate partnerships. Trans Media will operate CNN Indonesia from its facilities in Jakarta. A launch date will be announced in due course.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
