News Broadcasting
FremantleMedia brings a slew of shows to Asia Television Forum
MUMBAI: Television format owner and distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has announced its slate of programming travelling to Singapore at the end of the month for the Asia Television Forum (ATF) 2006.
FME CEO David Ellender says that a focus on entertainment and reality programmes would lead the way at the ATF this year, with drama and factual titles also on offer. ATF takes place from 29 November – 1 December 2006 in Singapore.
One of its properties is a 12 part music series Live From Abbey Road. The Killers, Diana Ross, Pink and The Who join a host of other top names from the music world to celebrate the 75th anniversary of London’s legendary Abbey Road recording studios for this brand new series from Live From Abbey Road Limited. With television and DVD rights on offer for the series, Live From Abbey Road is set to be the focus of much attention in Singapore.
Famed for its role in The Beatles’ rise to fame, the Abbey Road studios will host international A-list artists, as each one hour episode offers an insight into the world of the musician. Artists on the bill to date for Live From Abbey Road include both musical greats and up-and-coming performers – Paul Simon, Massive Attack, LeAnn Rimes, David Gilmour, Pearl Jam, Gnarles Barkley and Corinne Bailey Rae are just some who will gather in celebration of the home of music.
Also on show at the ATF will be a reality offering from Janice Dickinson, the self-proclaimed world’s first supermodel, in her show The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. The series is a no-holds-barred look at Janice as she sets up her own modelling agency. After five seasons as the resident “Simon Cowell” judge on America’s Next Top Model, Janice is now taking the reigns. But this is not a contrived elimination show – this is the real thing. One thing’s for sure, these models better realise that with Janice, it’s her way or the highway.
American Inventor is a search to find America’s best new invention and to make one struggling inventor’s dream come true. With a million dollars at stake, American Inventor celebrates the best in homespun ingenuity and will be judged by the panel of experts including show co-creator, UK entrepreneur Peter Jones.
The juggernaut of the reality genre, American Idol, will be back for the ATF, and FME will present the sixth season. The Apprentice Season six will be offered. With a crop of entrepreneurs more intelligent and successful than ever, the competitors’ survival techniques will be tested, this time from Los Angeles, where the rules are different and a powerful perk is bestowed upon winning project managers, with losing teams not only going to the boardroom, but having a new and unpleasant situation to deal with.
Available for TV and DVD is series three of Project Runway hosted by supermodel, Heidi Klum. This immensely popular series from Miramax and The Weinstein Company was nominated for three 2006 Emmy awards and screens in 21 territories worldwide. The third series sees 15 new fashion designers battling it out for the chance to show their designs in front of the global fashion community in New York and be displayed in the pages of Elle magazine.
Competing against each other in a series of challenges, through each of which a designer is eliminated, ultimately one will be left to claim their rightful place in fashion’s spotlight. Project Runway is hot property! The third series attracted audiences of up to 5.0 million viewers, ranking as the highest rated programme in Bravo’s 20 year history.
Falcon Beach will make its ATF debut having already been snapped up by 24 broadcasters worldwide. This is a family drama with the lot – it’s sexy, edgy and full of energy, it’s the essence of summer. Falcon Beach centres on the lives and loves of the town’s young men and women, as they find their way towards their futures in a quiet lakeside town where locals and summer visitors mingle and where seduction, sand, sun and scandal are abundant.
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.
