News Broadcasting
Aastha Broadcasting Network to set up Singapore subsidiary
MUMBAI: India’s prominent spiritual network, Aastha Broadcasting Network Ltd (ABNL), is setting up a Wholly Owned Subsidiary (WOS) in Singapore.
The subsidiary will take care of the company’s international operations including the distribution and marketing of Aastha group of satellite channels.
“The subsidiary will handle ABNL’s international operations. Our US and UK operations will be looked after by this proposed subsidiary while the ABNL India will take care of the Indian operations,” ABNL director Hiren Doshi told indiantelevision.com. Doshi didn’t divulge the investment details.
A meeting of the Board of Directors, held on 28 June, approved the plan.
Doshi said the company wouldn’t be listed in the Singapore stock exchange, but didn’t rule out the possibility of doing so in the future. “The board of directors has just approved the proposal. Our next mission is to get all the requisite permission from the government. We are yet to finalise a name for the company,” Doshi added.
ABNL’s move throws light on the company’s aggressive plans to tap the international market. In the US, Aastha channel is available on the DirecTV platform. “The network has obtained licences to launch on BSkyB’s direct-to-home (DTH) platform in the UK and Europe and the Asian Television Network (ATN) platform in Canada,” offers Doshi.
According to Doshi, Aastha will be targeting New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in the next phase. “ABNL will diversify in all parts of the world wherever Asian Indians are present,” he says.
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.
