News Broadcasting
Animax reaches eight million homes in four days
Mumbai: Just how the strong the One Alliance distribution bouquet is can be gauged from this piece of news. Animax, which gives viewers the best that Japanese animation has to offer was able to achieve a reach of over eight million cable and satellite homes within four days of its launch.
Animax reaches 90 per cent of India’s five metros, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore, stated a press release.
The success of Animax is significant due to the current competitive environment, where, the cable operators don’t want to carry new channels due to their capacity constraints, quoted the media release.
SET Discovery president, Shantonu Aditya added “Amongst the niche channels that have been launched in the recent past, the initial reach of Animax has probably been the best. Within the next few weeks, we want to double this connectivity and reach 16 million households nationally,” informed
Animax has three key prime time blocks catering to viewers of different ages and the special programming on weekends. The channel completely dubbed in English features animation works by Japan’s top producers and studios, including global successes such as Astro Boy, Gundam and Dragon Ball. In addition to English, the 4-hour time block targeting kids have programmes dubbed in Hindi.
As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com the channel had roped in Irfan Pahtan as its brand ambassador.
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.
