News Broadcasting
17 regional broadcasters get free MPEG-4 slots on DD Free Dish
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati has cleared 17 regional television channels for free carriage on DD Free Dish’s MPEG-4 platform, widening access to regional language content on India’s largest free-to-air direct-to-home service.
The allocation, made under the public broadcaster’s 93rd allotment round, will run on a pilot basis until March 31, 2026. The move is aimed at expanding linguistic diversity on DD Free Dish while testing demand ahead of long-term slot allotment norms.
The selected channels include TV9 Kannada, Public TV and Mazhavil Manorama, alongside a strong Bengali slate featuring ABP Ananda, R Bangla, TV9 Bangla, R Plus Gold, Kolkata TV, R Plus Bengali, Enterr 10 Bangla and Khushboo Bangla.
Other regional additions include Kanak News (Odia), ABP Majha and 9X Jhakaas (Marathi), ABP Asmita and Gujarat First (Gujarati), and News State Punjab-Haryana-Himachal (Punjabi).
Under the pilot framework, the channels will be carried on DD Free Dish’s MPEG-4 feeds without carriage fees, giving broadcasters access to the platform’s mass reach while offering viewers a richer regional mix.
The move underlines Prasar Bharati’s push to strengthen regional broadcasting and reinforce DD Free Dish’s role as a key distribution pipe for free television in a fragmenting media market.
(Note: The cover image is AI-generated and is meant for representational purposes only.)
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.
