News Broadcasting
10 million subscribers, CDM rules pay TV market in China
MUMBAI: China TV Media (CDM) claims to have notched a 100, 000 subscriber base mark within six months of its launch of its digital pay TV network in China.
An official release issued by the network claims a sweeping 95 per cent market share of China’s digital pay-TV market. China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) had given a green signal to proposals for digital pay-TV by five networks last year. CDM was the first one to launch the service on 9 August 2004.
CDM has so far signed contracts with more than 90 cable TV networks across the country with a total of 63.07 million subscribers, among whom some 490,000 are set-top box users.
The CDM network now runs 17 digital pay-TV channels, offering a wide range of programs including movies, music, sports, shopping, education, TV guide and even computer games.
Meanwhile communications provider PCCW has announced plans to set up a broadband pay-television joint venture on the mainland with the telecommunications company China Netcom Group.
The new joint venture will initially operate in larger cities in Netcom Group’s home markets in northern China, where most of its current broadband subscribers are based. The group is the dominant operator in Beijing and Tianjin.
China Netcom is hoping to transfer PCCW’s experience in broadband television into China to help it restore growth in its broadband operations, where it has seen revenue slip in recent years due to competition. The challenge for China Netcom will be to find ways to boost broadband average revenue per user (ARPU) by selling more value-added services,
Last month China Netcom and PCCW announced a strategic alliance to jointly develop their respective businesses in mainland China and internationally. China Netcom had agreed to pay approximately $1 bn in cash for a 20 per cent stake in PCCW
As a part of their pay TV venture PCCW will procure TV programming security and payment mechanisms, as well as investment in set-top-boxes and may own up to half of the venture when Beijing relaxes regulations in 2007.
However experts say that it will still take time for most of the Chinese television audience to get used to paying for any specific programmes they want to see.
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.
