News Broadcasting
Zee to expand Middle East presence with new movie channel
MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Ltd is gearing up to expand its business in the Middle East. The company is launching early next year a movie channel for viewers in the Arab region. This will be the second of a bouquet of customised channels Zee aims to come up with in the region.
The company also plans to introduce a separate beam for Zee Cinema dedicated to the Middle East. This will enable the Hindi movie channel to increase viewership in the region and tap local advertising.
“We plan to launch the customised movie channel by February 2006. It will have a blend of Arabic, Indian and Pakistani movies,” Essel Group chief executive officer of corporate strategy and finance Rajiv Garg tells Indiantelevision.com.
Last month Zee Telefilms launched Zee Arabiya, a music and lifestyle channel for the youth in the Arab region. This was Zee’s first localised channel offering in the Middle East.
Speaking on Zee Cinema’s dedicated beam for the Middle East, Garg says the channel will have scope to garner local advertising revenues. “We plan to launch a separate beam by 15 January,” he adds.
Zee is also eyeing the South East Asian region to offer customised content. The company has struck a deal with Malaysia’s multi-channel pay TV operator Astro and will be launching a dedicated channel with Hindi content, for its Indonesian, Malaysian and Brunei audiences.
Zee’s international revenues is expected to see a 15 per cent growth this fiscal, says Garg. The revenues from these new operations will get reflected in future, he adds.
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.
