News Broadcasting
Subhash Chandra cos diversify into infra biz
NEW DELHI: After having made a mark in the media and entertainment industry, media baron Subhash Chandra is now diversifying into infrastructure.
The Chandra promoted Rs 35 billion Essel Group has made a bid for modernization of Delhi and Mumbai airports. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had recently sought an expression of interest from parties concerned.
When contacted Ashish Kaul, vice-president, Corporate Brand Development Essel Group, confirmed the development and said, “The Essel Group has submitted an expression of interest to the AAI through our group company Pan India Paryatan Limited.
Pan Indian Paryatan manages the largest and the popular theme parks under the brand name of Essel World and Water Kingdom. We are partnering with the TAV Group of Turkey for this, Kaul said. The TAV group operates the Istanbul, Ankara and Tehran international airports.
When asked about this diversification into infrastructure management, Kaul said,” Essel Group has been associated with diverse businesses and we have been looking at diversifying and developing the theme parks with international recreational facilities and with the objective of developing India as one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the world.
This is the first phase of the process of awarding this major contract, which has opened with nine other interested companies submitting an expression of interest as a prerequisite to graduate to the second stage where these pre- qualified companies will be privy to all the details of the scope of work and financials.
Essel group has a vast range of national and global business interest, encompassing media programming, broadcasting and distribution, packaging, entertainment, telecom and trading, having close synergies with ventures active in the areas of content distribution/ reach and infrastructure/ logistics.
Some of the companies that Essel Group promotes are Zee Telefilms Limited, Essel Propack, Pan India Paryatan, Dish TV, Asian Sky Shop, Agrani Group.
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.
