News Broadcasting
Ram Mohan for more animation training centres in India
MUMBAI: “I want to set up a pre-production and training facility. I am holding talks with people in schools too, and am trying to convince them to introduce animation as a subject, ” says animation pioneer Ram Mohan, who recently quit UTV Toons to join Graphiti Multimedia as chairman.
Mohan, a name that has become synonymous with Indian animation, has definite plans of improving the state of animation in the country. “What we lack in India is adequate training. We have lot of talent in our country but unfortunately no one to tap it. Western countries have schools which provide specialisation in all processes of animation . We lack that here,” says Ram Mohan.
He insists he wants to continue as a freelance consultant and as a future endeavour wants to primarily develop original animation content and explore possibilities on Indian television.
On the state of animation in India, he says: “We have reached a plateau as far as 2-D animation is concerned. A large number of studios all over India cater to studios in Taiwan, Korea and Philippines. Though contract work has increased, it is not proportionate to the number of studios mushrooming in the country. As a result, work is being spread thin and there is no likelihood of of growth in that direction.”
Ram Mohan sees the advent of Cartoon Network as a positive since it has given a much required boost to the profession in the country, but it according to him, it still has a long way to go. “Ninety per cent of the programmes on the channel (Cartoon Network) are sourced from abroad. It is just recently that the channel has started using Indian content such as The Ramayana and the Pandavaas,” he says.
Ram Mohan has been drawing cartoons ever since he was in school. But it was a chance encounter with Clair H Weeks, veteran Disney animator, who was in Bombay in 1956 to help the government of India set up an animation studio, that led to a job in the cartoon film unit where he worked for the next 12 years and paved the way for his career in animation. He has made countless commercials, some children’s films (including the White Elephant for UNESCO), one animated feature, the Japanese production of The Legend of Ramayana (which he co-directed with Koichi Sasaki) and the Meena and Sara series for UNICEF.
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.
