News Broadcasting
Padmalaya Telefilms gets a new CMD
MUMBAI: Adiseshagiri Rao, one of the founder members of Padmalaya Telefilms, has officially taken over as chairman-cum-managing director of the company after the resignation of GSR Krishna Murthy.
The appointment was made official yesterday at the Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms’ annual board meeting. Padmalaya is now majority-controlled by Zee Telefilms after Chandra bought into the Southern organisation few years back.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Rao stated that this year Padmalaya Telefilms would be expecting a turnover of Rs 1,400 million, which would mean an anticipated jump of Rs 300 million. He also stated that the company would be moving on to the digital cinema platform also soon.
Incidentally, Murthy, who resigned with effect from 2 February 2004, is the brother of Rao.
On the feature film front, Padmalaya has its hands full with about eight films. Three of them are in Hindi and the rest being in regional languages.
With regards Padmalaya Telefilms Ltd. having bagged orders worth over $24 million from three global animation majors, Rao confirmed the development, but added that only a memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed till date with an Italian company.
“The formal contract will come through next month,” he added. One of the business deals involves Italy-based Mondo TV, which will be involved in all the pre and post production work for the television series that will cater to the western market. The series is estimated to be a total of 104 episodes.
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.
