News Broadcasting
Adlabs Films okays 6% acquisition in Prime Focus
MUMBAI: Fast and now is what describes the pace at Adlabs Films and the Shettys are not pausing for breath yet.
After diversifying into the immensely successful multiplex venture, Manmohan Shetty is now looking at expanding the client base of Adlabs Films by offering post production services. The post production services will be offered as an integrated package along with the company’s processing services.
For this, the Adlabs Films board of directors has approved the acquisition of up to six per cent stake in Prime Focus Limited. Prime Focus is a Mumbai based company that provides post production services such as editing, sound and special effects, graphics to the ad and film industry. The company promoted by Namit Malhotra is better known for the post-production of music video, Jalwa and of the Coke ad film showing an Aamir Khan double.
Adlabs Films had informed the Bombay Stock Exchange last Thursday that Adlabs promoters Manmohan Shetty and Vasanji Mamania had offloaded 0.7 million shares each amounting to 3.255 per cent respectively on 18 December 2003 through the open market. The respective stakes of Shetty and Mamania after the sale stand at 6.775 million shares each to the tune of 31.51 per cent.
In its third quarter results, Adlabs Films clocked a year on year rise of 42.15 per cent. The company recorded a net profit of Rs 58 million for the quarter ended 31 December 2003 vis-a-vis Rs 40.8 million in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.
Total income for the quarter went up by 16.22 per cent to Rs 225.6 million, as against Rs 194.1 million for the corresponding quarter in the previous fiscal.
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.
