News Broadcasting
Starcom MediaVest Group Announces Zero Dot: Brand Experience Consulting Redefined
MUMBAI: Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) announced today that it launched a new unit at the company, Zero Dot, a new generation of brand consulting, experience design, strategy and original creation of content. Zero Dot works to solve clients’ marketing challenges with a unique approach. While the unit launched officially today, Zero Dot has already been driving new ideas, innovation and returns for numerous clients, including Procter & Gamble brand Cheer, who recently named Zero Dot as one of its creative partners.
Zero Dot, led by Jonathan Hoffman, SMG President, Experience Design, brings world class talent, ideas and technology for the era of convergence. The unit provides a new way for brands to think about creativity and ideas and its work is inherently designed for the digital age, across multiple screens—social and participatory at the core. Designed to work quickly, in an integrated fashion with a fast, agile process, Zero Dot yields ideas for clients who can take them to market faster than typical integrated marketing approaches.
“Consumers are at the center of everything we do,” said Laura Desmond, SMG CEO. “Keeping ahead of their pace of change and connecting with them in real-time is a part of our DNA. Today’s converged media world has created a need for more agile, multidisciplinary solutions, which is where Zero Dot comes in—serving as a consultancy that can create a new breed of experiences and catalyze speed to market so brands can engage today’s consumers in the moment..”
Zero Dot will collaborate with all SMG agencies and Centers of Excellence (COE) and joins a strong group of emerging media and content units at the company, including Liquid Thread; SMG’s global data and analytics COE; its emerging mobile and social COE; Big Fuel, SMG’s social agency; and its Search COE. Zero Dot will expand globally throughout 2014.
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.
