News Broadcasting
Animax bids for fast lift-off; Irfan brand ambassador
MUMBAI: The Animax South Asia service, the third in the channel’s regional expansions since the beginning of 2004, was heralded in India today with a champagne toast raised by SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta.
Touted as the first ever 24/7 animation channel catering to all age groups in the region, Animax in India is being endorsed by teen cricket heart throb Irfan Pathan, who will promote the channel on air, online and at various ground events. An animated version of Irfan pushing the channel’s shows and characters later in the year can also not be ruled out.
According to SET Discovery president Shantonu Aditya, distribution deals have already been secured in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, and the One Alliance, which promotes Animax, will ensure an initial reach of 16 million households in the coming few weeks.
Animax, which first launched in Japan in 1998, (the same year that Sony launched Max, the cricket and movies channel), is an unknown genre for SET India, said Dasgupta, but promised that the channel had enough exotic fare to keep Indian youth engaged. Pointing out that nearly 46 per cent of India’s cable and satellite population was in the 20 – 24 year demographic, SET executive vice president, sales and revenue, Rohit Gupta said the brands who are looking at innovative ways of targeting this youth segment would find an effective ally in Animax.
Animax is currently available in English with a four-hour block targeting kids also available in Hindi. The 24-hour Hindi feed is expected to be launched by April 2005.
While Animax Asia launched in January 2004, it is now available in 5.6 million homes in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia. From July, the Animax feed will be made available in Maldives and Vietnam as well.
Apart from characters like Astro Boy and Princess Sarah which will be promoted heavily on air, Animax is developing two original characters Quu and Tee, who will be channel emblems, says Todd Miller, Sony Pictures Television International senior V-P and MD, international networks, Asia.
There are three prime time blocks catering to viewers of different ages – the Kids Hour from 3 to 7 pm, the Youth Hour from 7 to 9 pm, the Mega Zone from 9 to 11 pm and Weekend Anime.
Irfan, the 19 year old cricket sensation, was chosen by the channel after a dip stick survey showed him as a popular, yet unexploited teen icon who could identify with the brand image of Animax, says assistant vice-president, marketing and sales, Rohit Bhandari.
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.
