News Broadcasting
Al Jazeera to preview new English International service at Media and Marketing Show 2005
MUMBAI: The Dubai-based Media and Marketing Show 2005, to be held from 7 -9 November, will host a comprehensive bouquet of Al Jazeera channels. At the exhibition, a preview of Al Jazeera’s new International English-language news service will take place.
The Qatar based Arabic channel’s bid to improve penetration into the English-speaking world will commence its operations from 2006. It will be run from Doha in the Gulf state of Qatar, using material generated from its new office in London and bureaus in Doha, Kuala Lumpur and Washington.
“Al-Jazeera is looking to consolidate its presence not just in the region, but also on the global stage, and is planning to increase the reach of its broadcasting by launching a new English-language service. Al-Jazeera will have a consolidated presence at the upcoming Media and Marketing Show to demonstrate the diversity of its programming services,” said Al Jazeera Sport head of marketing Hedi Smirani.
“Al Jazeera is not only a premier source of objective news, but also provides quality entertainment and sports broadcasts that cater to a wide range of audiences and enthusiasts, ” adds Smirani.
Al-Jazeera became a global force in news broadcasting during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, when its ability to report events in the Middle Eastern domain from an Arab perspective contrasted with the difficulties faced by other media organisations, informs an official commuinque.
Since announcing plans to open a London office and launch its English-language service, Al-Jazeera has signed up a number of staff from the BBC, ITV and Sky News to join the station. Sir David Frost, veteran interviewer whose BBC show Breakfast with Frost ended earlier this year, has been signed up by Arabic satellite television news channel Al-Jazeera for its new English-language service.
Other major regional media players participating in the upcoming Media and Marketing Show 2005 include MEPRA, Khaleej Times, Dubai Media City, Jacobsons, Orient Planet, Saatchi and Saatchi, Fortune PromoSeven, BBC World, Dubai Television, Gray Business Communications, ITP Consumer, The Economist, Dubai Radio Network, Flip Media, Canon Middle East, CDP, Dom International, Media Factory, The Concept Group, AME Info, Biz Events, Gulf Air, General Motors, Blue Ocean, Les Affichages Pikasso, Connector Publishing, DIT Publishing, Infinity TV and others .
“The Media and Marketing Show 2005 has the specific aim of bringing together the various forms of media in order to facilitate the interchange of best practice and the development of business liaisons. While most industries have representative trade shows, the media and marketing industries in the Middle East region have still to come together in cohesive display under one roof. The Media and Marketing Show aims to address this gap by bringing diverse media and marketing sector players, ranging from advertising agencies, branding consultants, business and consumer magazine publishers, online media, radio and television networks, call centres, CRM specialists, daily newspapers, designers and directory publishers together to a business platform this November ,” says The Domus Group managing director David Domoney.
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.
