News Broadcasting
Ariane 5 EC-A ready for Thursday launch
MUMBAI: The launch of Arianespace’s first increased-lift Ariane 5 has been given the “green light” following the successful readiness review conducted at the Spaceport.
The upgraded version, designated Ariane 5 EC-A, is set for launch during the night of 28-29 November, from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
Mission team members reviewed the launcher’s status, and verified that its dual-satellite payload was ready for the Thursday evening liftoff. The Spaceport’s launch infrastructure and down-range tracking stations also were declared ready to support the mission, a company release says.
The launch readiness review cleared the way for tomorrow morning’s rollout of the Ariane 5, which will transfer the launcher from its final assembly building to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch complex.
Flight 157 will mark a milestone in Ariane 5’s development. This will be the first mission with an increased-lift version capable of lofting a payload of 10 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit.
The release says the additional performance further strengthens Arianespace’s competitiveness, proving the ability to pair up almost any combination of telecommunications satellites for efficient dual launches.
The launch window for Flight 157 opens Thursday evening at 7:21 pm local time in French Guiana, and continues through 8:04 pm.
After liftoff, the heavy-lift Ariane 5 will release the Eutelsat HOT BIRD 7 TV broadcast satellite at approximately 27 minutes into the flight, followed by the French Stentor telecom demonstrator about nine minutes later.
Proton launch of ASTRA 1K Satellite fails to reach proper orbit:
ASTRA 1K, the fourteenth satellite in the ASTRA series, was unable to reach its proper orbit after the failure of the Proton launch vehicle.
The spacecraft was intended to operate at ASTRA’s orbital position of 19.2 East.
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.
