News Broadcasting
BSkyB reports colossal profit rise
MUMBAI: The Murdoch owned pay-TV company BSkyB has reported a record operating profit of £438 million – a massive 76 per cent increase on the previous year’s quarterly figures.
According to a media report, the net operating cash inflow increased by 131 per cent to £518 million, while profit after tax increased almost tenfold, from £28 million to £243 million. The network’s total revenue increased by 16 per cent to £2,697 million. Also notable is the fact that the number of DTH subscribers rose by 66,000 to 7.3 million.
BSkyB chief executive James Murdoch was quoted in a media report saying, “Sky continues to deliver improvement in its financial performance, and remains on track to hit all operational and financial targets. Slower DTH subscriber growth during the quarter reflected our decision to pull back on platform marketing in a seasonally quiet period.”
The company also revealed that it would not sell the rights to broadcast six to eight Premier League soccer matches because none of the bids it received reached a price per match agreed upon with regulators.
BSkyB has signed up new pay-television subscribers at the slowest pace in more than two years in its third quarter, but its profit increased anyway because it sold its 20 per cent stake in a home shopping channel to QVC, generating a gain of about £49 million.
Net income jumped to £113 million from £17 million a year earlier, BSkyB said. Sales rose to £931 million from £819 million.
James Murdoch, who became CEO in November, is counting on Sky Plus, which lets users rewind live TV, and on luring more viewers to reach eight million subscribers by the end of 2005.
The company also announced that James had agreed a 12-month rolling contract, seven months after being installed as BSkyB CEO. According to a media report, Murdoch will earn an annual salary of £750,000, plus £200, per year in relocation and other expense allowances for three years. He will also be entitled to a bonus. Murdoch is being granted 450,000 BSkyB shares, though 70 per cent of the entitlement will be subject to performance.
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.
