News Broadcasting
Ark Trust to honour Discovery founder Hendricks
The Ark Trust, an American non-profit animal protection organisation and presenter of the annual Genesis Awards, will salute the award-winning John S Hendricks, founder, chairman and CEO of Discovery Communications.
He is being recognised for his pioneering commitment to high quality documentary programming that celebrates the animal world.
The gala ceremony will take place at the International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton on 16 March.
An official release states that the Genesis Awards honours outstanding individuals from the major news and entertainment media for spotlighting animal issues with courage, creativity and integrity. Hendricks will get its coveted Guest of Honor distinction.
The release informs that since Discovery Channel’s inception in 1982, Hendricks has been the driving force behind DCI’s dramatic growth to a global operation that covers 155 countries with over 650 million subscribers. Its current stable of networks now encompasses 33 distinctive programming networks, representing 14 entertainment brands, which include The Learning Channel (TLC), Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, and a family of digital channels.
DCI’s other properties consist of discovery.com and 170 Discovery Channel retail stores. As one of the leading visionaries in the media industry, Hendricks has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including a previous Genesis Award for The Discovery Channel in 1991. Among his other awards are a Primetime Emmy and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences highest honour, the Governors Award.
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.
