News Broadcasting
After Europe, India where Time Warner focus is: Parsons
MUMBAI: So-called restrictive legislations or not, India is a market that no mass product company can ignore. World’s biggest media company Time Warner is no exception.
This is evident from the fact that chairman and CEO of Time Warner,Richard Parson, sees India as a priority international market after Europe for his organisation.
At a time when Asia’s biggest market China has stringent media regulations making it difficult for non-Chinese companies to operate there, liberal India is the next haven for Western business houses.
“Time Warner in the US is such a large player. Where are we going to get growth from?” Parson was quoted by worldscreen.com as saying at an interaction with journalists at Mipcom in France on Wednesday.
According to Parson, “The first place we are going to look at is Europe. They are developed economies, established platforms, and there’s an orientation towards Western content. We are focused on Europe and the emerging markets of India and China, in that order.”
Though media has speculated on investments in India by Time Warner, but the company has preferred to keep a low profile.
At present, Time Warner’s biggest exposure to India is through a 26:74 joint venture with Zee Telefilms, called Zee Turner Ltd, for distribution of TV channels in India.
With over 30 channels in its bouquet, in certain markets within India Zee Turner has beaten Star and Discovery-Sony TV One Alliance in terms of subscription.
Zee Turner is targeting a turnover of Rs 4 billion by March 2007, signifying a revenue growth of 30-35 per cent compared to last financial year.
Through some of its group companies – Turner’s three satellite TV channels CNN, Cartoon Network and Pogo, Warner Bros. Movies based in Mumbai, Zee Turner and also a small outfit of AOL in Bangalore – Time Warner has an
adequate presence in India.
But it would be nowhere near as lucrative or penetrative as competitor Rupert Murdoch’s Star.
In 2004 when Parson came on a flying visit to India, he did indicate at a party thrown for India’s business elites that Time Warner would like to set up a business process outsourcing unit (reason not known) here also.
Presently, Time Warner is slightly worried over the fate of a court mandated ban on airing ‘A’ certified movies by movie channels in the Mumbai market.
The ban affects Indian and foreign film channels, including HBO in which Time Warner has interest.
Meanwhile, speaking at length about his company’s plans in Europe at Mipcom, Parson did not rule out a cable acquisition in Europe.
“We all believe cable is the winner over time,” Parsons was quoted in media reports as saying.
“We look at everything. It’s a big issue. Cable will win in the US but maybe not outside the US since the infrastructure is not there. We look, we evaluate on price, you never know,” he added.
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.
