News Broadcasting
Digitisation key to media & entertainment: Ernst & Young
MUMBAI: Digitisation is the single most important technology trend that is continuing to reshape the media and entertainment landscape in the more developed markets of Europe and the US, according to the consulting firm Ernst & Young.
Digital cable and satellite, digital video recorders (DVRs), online content distribution and the mainstreaming of electronic games are likely to impact companies working in old world models.
“The cable and satellite story is powerful, but other sectors will thrive as well,” remarks the Ernst & Young report on “Fast Forward: Technology propels media and entertainment CEOs into the Future” .
Cable companies have high earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) and are growing twice as fast. Broadcast TV, radio and margin operate on margins hovering around 40 per cent, while the other sectors bunch up between 8-15 per cent.
Technology will put the industry on fast forward, the report said. DVR will be the only technology that will have the maximum impact on the future of media and entertainment over the next few years. Balsara pointed out that studies have shown that DVRs are going to slow down and even bleed the broadcast TV industry. DVRs resulted in the TV industry letting go of 1.7 per cent of advertising revenue in 2003. That is going to balloon to a fat 12.5 per cent by 2007.
Ernst & Young interviewed 23 global media and entertainment CEOs, CFOs and leading financial stakeholders for compiling the report. The companies that participated in this global study accounted for combined annual revenues of $214 billion (FY03).
Presenting the report on Tuesday, Ernst & Young head of media and entertainment practice Farokh Balsara said broadband Internet access and online advertising would become a key source for entertainment advertising.
Ernst & Young had invited CEOs and senior executives of Indian companies to a function where the report was presented. AP Parigi was the chief guest, while Ernst & Young’s John Harley and Indiantelevision.com CEO Anil Wanvari were among those who spoke on the occasion.
And industry turned up in large numbers: Sony Picture’s Uday Singh, NDTV’s Raj Nayak, Media Turf’s V. Ramani, Lodestar Media’s Nandini Dias, Hansa Consulting’s Pravin Tripathi, Triton Communications’ Ali Merchant, TAM India’s Atul Phadnis, Aaj Tak’s Nikita Tulsian, Lemon’s Ravi Deshpande were amongst the ones who graced the evening.
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.
