News Broadcasting
Al Jazeera to acquire significant stake in Canal Plus
NEW DELHI: Al Jazeera is set to acquire a significant stake in Canal Plus to ease regulatory concerns from the Spanish Creation of National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) and give green light to Telefonica’s takeover of the Spanish pay-TV platform.
Telefonica is reportedly in talks with Al Jazeera in this connection. In May, Telefonica agreed to purchase the 56 per cent stake in Digital+ owned by Prisa for €750 million before subsequently agreeing to acquire Mediaset’s 22 per cent stake in Digital+ for an initial €295 million.
However, regulator CNMC has yet to approve the deal and recent reports have suggested that it is likely to impose strict conditions, such as the requirement to open up the content of Digital+ to rivals Vodafone-Ono and Orange.
The European Commission has also expressed concerns that the proposed merger would give Telefonica control of 80 per cent of Spain’s pay-TV market.
Qatar’s Al Jazeera is said to be particularly interested in the rights to live Spanish football matches owned by Canal Plus. In February, Telefonica signed a one-season rights deal with Barcelona for 2015-16 and the company recently announced that it is planning to double Movistar TV subscribers to four million this year.
Qatar has a €30 million a year shirt sponsorship deal with Barcelona through the Qatar Foundation.
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.
