News Broadcasting
ABC from Down Under comes aboard Dish TV
NEW DELHI: ASC Enterprise’s Dish TV, country’s first KU-band DTH service, has signed an exclusive deal with ABC Asia Pacific, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s free-to-air international satellite television channel.
Now, for the first time this channel would be available in India exclusively through Dish TV making it possible for the subscribers to watch this Australian channel.
ABC Asia Pacific offers a rich and diverse range of information and general programming. The channel is already available in Bangladesh, China, Burma, Nepal, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, amongst various other countries across the Pacific, at present.
Commenting on the tie-up, Essel Group additional vice-chairman Jawahar Goel said, “It’s a pleasure to have such a renowned channel on the Dish TV platform. This tie-up with ABC has just strengthened our commitment to provide the best entertainment to our customers spread across the length and breadth of the country.”
However, neither Goel, nor the company offered any financial details of the deal. Essel group is the umbrella entity under which Subhash Chandra carries out his various business ventures through different companies.
On ABC Asia Pacific, viewers can catch the latest regional news, update English language skills and tune in to international documentaries, lifestyle programmes and top quality dramas. Extensive sports coverage and award-winning children’s programmes are also included in the programming mix.
This Australian television channel draws on the vast inventory of programming available from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian commercial television networks and independent production houses from around the world.
According to John Doherty, joint head of ABC Asia Pacific Operations, “We are very delighted to be a part of the Dish TV family and look forward to a fruitful and lasting relationship with Dish and its viewers.”
Existing Dish TV bouquet encapsulates channels from 32 Indian and international broadcasters that cover the entire gamut of TV viewing from news, soaps, sports, music, movies, cartoons regional languages, plus a range of niche channels.
Broadcasters on Dish TV include Turner, ESPN, Star Sports, NDTV, TV Today, India TV, Zee Network, ETV, Asianet, DD channels, MCM Trace, Fashion TV and Trendz. Dish TV signals is available on NSS-6 satellite.
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.
