News Broadcasting
ABC Asia Pacific to launch as Australia Network on 7 August
MUMBAI: Starting 7 August, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Asia Pacific will be called the Australia Network, offering news, documentaries, drama and lifestyle programs. In its new avatar, the network will bring some new programmes but with same spirit and zeal across Asia.
In India, the channel will be distributed by Global Broadcast News (GBN). In a recent interview to Indiantelevision.com, GBN joint managing director Sameer Manchanda disclosed, “We have just signed up to be the Indian agent of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, an infotainment channel with large doses of news and travel shows.”
Featuring live coverage from around the region, it will be produced exclusively for Australia Network by the ABC TV news and current affairs division.
The channel will air a brand new current affairs programmes Focus on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 PM Evening bulletins will feature three times per night at 5 PM, 7 PM and 9 PM, with exclusive reports from the four new correspondents in the region reporting from Delhi, Beijing, South Pacific and Jakarta in addition to ABC correspondents from around the world.
Adelaide based actor Margot Politis will host Study English, which has been designed specifically to help students prepare for study overseas or improve their career prospects. Politis is also the host of the ABC Education programme Like It Is.
Business English will focus on helping people improve their career prospects by learning the worlds global language of business.
The dramas are uniquely Australian, created, written and produced in Australia. The Australia Networks will bring in a daily soap Home & Away. It will air at 5:30 PM
There will be a special one hour recap of all Home & Away every Sunday at 6 PM The network will showcase more Aussie drama such as hospital drama All Saints; the award winning police series Blue Heelers; Love My Way with Claudia Karvan; Travel favourite Getaway and many more.
The Network will be carrying coverage ranging from horse racing (The Melbourne Cup), to V8 Supercars to surfing and of course rugby International Rugby Union featuring the International Test Matches between Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, France and Ireland as well as the Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cups, National Rugby League (NRL) and Australian Rules Football (AFL).
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.
