News Broadcasting
WTA Tour launches magazine-style TV show
MUMBAI: In a bid to create more personality around tennis The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour is launching a 12-episode television series.
The show will give viewers a glimpse of the off-court passions and lifestyles of the stars.
In India WTA action airs on Ten Sports. The magazine-style show, sponsored by Dubai Duty Free and entitled Dubai Duty Free presents Real Life On The WTA Tour, will be packed each month with intimate features, human-interest stories and behind-the-scenes footage.
The half an hour shows, produced by the Tour and KC Productions, debut on 26 July on Eurosport, potentially exposing the women’s game to 240 million viewers in 54 countries each year. The series will also air on The Tennis Channel in the US starting on 8 August.
The initial four episodes of ‘Real Life’ are complete and include footage from Tour events held earlier this year in Dubai, Amelia Island, Charleston, Rome, Berlin, Paris and Wimbledon. The premiere episode features multiple Grand Slam champion Serena Williams on a shopping trip in Charleston and getting ready for an awards gala; a day-in-the-life with Justine Henin-Hardenne at Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa, Florida; and rising star Wimbeldon champion Maria Sharapova during her recent Italian Vogue magazine photo shoot.
The new series will compliment the Tour’s recently-launched European television news service. The news service creates and distributes highlights of major European Tour events to broadcast media outlets around the world, further expanding the visibility of the game
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.
