News Broadcasting
Would DD News oust private producers ?
NEW DELHI: Is Doordarshan News looking at axing privately produced programmes on the channel? If a certain section of the organization is to be believed, then such a move is afoot, though it may turn out to be a hot potato to handle.
Which are the top programmes on Doordarshan News, re-launched last November with a promise to make garbage of other channels? The Headlines, Rozana and
Aankhon Dekhi (the latter two being privately produced programmes).
This fact is worrying the managers of Prasar Bharati, which manages Doordarshan and All India Radio. According to sources in the organisation, some Prasar Bharati board members feel that if DD News is to gain popularity via outside producers, then it would be difficult to market the channel in-house, despite consulting editor Deepak Chaurasia and gang doing a good job on the channel within certain limitations.
A Prasar Bharati source admitted that though it may not be easy, the Corporation is contemplating pulling the plug on private producers who make current affairs programmes on DD News on sponsored slots (that means they pay DD News a pre-designated amount for 30 minutes and are free to peddle the free commercial time for the slot, which amounts to about 220 seconds), from next month when their present 26-week agreements come to an end.
One such programme on rural India and agriculture has already been denied an extension, sending signals amongst private producers that this may set a precedent, sources said.
Though Prasar Bharati has introduced a revised rate card for DD News, with approximately a 20 per cent hike for packages and a whopping 66 per cent increase in spot buy rates from 1 April, market sources do admit that because deals are being signed in bulk and the whole channel is being marketed, the effective buying rate for DD news at times hovers around Rs 1,500-Rs1,700 per 10 seconds for bulk buyers.
This is in sharp contrast to sponsored programmes, which are privately produced. For example, one of the top programmes for DD News, Rozana, sells a 10 seconds spot for a sum ranging between Rs 6,500-Rs.7,000.
The private producers are quite clear. Their contention is that unlike DD, which has to market the whole news channel and is giving heavy bonuses to bulk buyers, they only have to market their individual programmes and can afford to charge slightly higher rates.
Even as there are talks of doing away with — or lessening the number — of private producers on DD News, Prasar Bharati has gone in for a 50 per cent increase in the rates for sponsored programmes — from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 for prime time and from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 for non prime time.
Though some big advertisers like State Bank of India and Kodak have already signed up Rs 7.5 million and Rs 2.5 million, respectively for three months on DD News, most such clients are also demanding top programmes on DD News and DD doesn’t have control over some top rated programmes like Rozana and Bollywood News as they are produced by outsiders.
At present, about half a dozen private producers are on DD News. Would Prasar Bharati bite the bullet? Difficult to say at this moment because the issue has political overtones.
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.
