News Broadcasting
70 per cent subscribers use Mobile TV weekly: GFK study
MUMBAI: A study by Growth From Knowledge (GfK) Technology has found that 70 per cent of active subscribers are tuning in to mobile TV services at least once a week.
The majority of these subscribers watch mobile TV for less than half an hour at any one time, with 38 per cent claiming their typical viewing session is more than 20 minutes.
More than half of the respondents said they signed up to mobile TV in order to have something to do during downtime. According to the study, 18 per cent said the main reason for acquiring mobile TV was to watch a programme when away from my main TV and 10 per cent said it was so they could catch a particular programme.
GfK Technology director Colin Strong said, “The findings were encouraging and demonstrated a growing market for mobile TV services. As a time-filler the proposition of mobile TV is a good one but it is a vulnerable position to have as there are plenty of other activities that can become time fillers. Tapping into the drivers for TV has much more potential for growing the market.”
The study has found that news, weather, sports and music videos were the most popular forms of mobile TV attracting 65 per cent, 56 per cent and 46 per cent of users respectively.
“This is partly due to the viewer demographic which is somewhat younger and more male than the overall population, but also due to the nature of the medium which will be more appropriate for particular types of content,” added Strong.
Technology consultancy Strategy Analytics predicts mobile firms will have about 50 million users of mobile TV by 2009, which it estimates will generate £3.5 billion in revenue.
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.
