News Broadcasting
‘All or nothing’, Vivendi tells bidders ahead of Monday deadline
MUMBAI: Bid for all or nothing! that’s the message from media conglomerate Vivendi Universal.
The deadline for receiving bids is just two days away and this assertion by the heavily indebted media powerhouse appears more hopeful stance than definite fact at the moment. One banker quoted by Reuters says Vivendi would inevitably receive bids for individual units.
Vivendi Universal CFO Jacques Espinasse has been quoted as saying that the company was facing a combination of up to 36 possible offers but only a few were “interested in the whole thing”.
Whoever is willing to bid for Vivendi lock, stock and barrel though, could get it for anywhere between $ 12 to 18 billion, depending on how many make a bid for the whole package (at this point in time whether there is even one is debatable though). The package on offer includes Hollywood’s Universal Studios, cable television channels USA and Sci Fi, and the Universal theme parks. The video games division, Vivendi Universal Games, remains somewhat in flux. While not part of the VUE sale, now, it could be included if a buyer pays the right price.
The assets are reportedly being eyed by six bidders, which include US media major Viacom, Hollywood studio MGM, NBC’s parent company General Electric, former Universal Group owners the Bronfman family, billionaire oil magnate Marvin Davis’s consortium Universal Partners and John Malone’s Liberty Media. The latter three are also reported to be interested in Vivendi’s music business.
With the music industry in a tailspin, Vivendi has not insisted that music be part of the sale but it would be reasonable to assume that that interest in music will work to their advantage in bidding.
Vivendi Universal’s net debt at the end of May was estimated at around 14 billion ($16.5 billion), compared with 15.3 billion ($18.09 billion) at the end of March.
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.
