News Broadcasting
Rio Olympics 2016 analysed by India’s Sportspersons on CNN-News18 & IBN7
MUMBAI: With the Rio Olympics 2016 round the corner, CNN-News18 and IBN7 have geared up to bring the most extensive programming on the world’s biggest sporting event. The channels have exclusively empanelled India’s top sportspersons to provide the viewers with unparalleled coverage throughout the games.
CNN-News18 Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo and IBN7 Sports Editor Vimal Kumar will spearhead the coverage directly from Rio de Janeiro. The coverage will feature some of the biggest names in the Indian sports – two time Olympics medallist Sushil Kumar, ace Indian shooter Ronjan Sodhi, former coach of Indian men’s hockey team Michael Nobbs, one of India’s foremost tennis coaches Enrico Piperno, former tennis player and sports administrator Manisha Malhotra, Asian Games Gold medal winning archer Abhishek Verma, boxing legend Akhil Kumar, Dronacharya awardee Yashvir Singh, India’s leading shuttler and reigning Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap, former South Asian Games Champion in long jump Reeth Abraham, former Indian hockey player and Olympic Bronze medallist Ashok Kumar and shooter Annu Raj Singh.
The channel’s reportage with bring daily updates from Rio and will closely track the progress of India’s top medal hopefuls.
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.
