News Broadcasting
Asia’s biggest infocomm market kicks off
SINGAPORE: Singapore never ceases to amaze. And Asia’s largest information and communications technology exhibition, Infocomm Media Business Exchange (imbX) 2004 – encompassing CommunicAsia, Broadcast Asia, EnterpriseIT and iX Conference – even more so.
At its opening a short while ago, everything worked like clockwork. The inauguration started on time and ended on the button. Ministers were punctual, bureaucrats too, and the performances were slick and short and almost everyone appeared pleased.
Some 52,000 visitors from 60 countries are expected to converge onto the world class Singapore Expo close to Changi Airport with 2,219 companies exhibiting and 38 associations supporting the event.
Clearly the mood was buoyant. “The buzz is back,” said Singapore Exhibition Services Pvt Ltd chief executive Stephen Tan. “The global economy is being fueled by two emerging economic monoliths in Asia – China and India. Economic growth is in top gear across the Asia Pacific region including Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. And the ICT and media industries have been taking strong and healthy strides towards recovery.”
Singapore minister of Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang echoed that sentiment, throwing up numbers to shore it up. Said he, “IT spending in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan, is expected to grow by 10 per cent this year to $88 billion, compared with 3.4 per cent growth seen in 2003. This is clearly a sharp increase and reflects a rebounding market.” He pointed out that Singapore is also doing very well, thank you. The revenue growth for IT companies in the island state is expected to surge by between six-seven per cent in 2004, compared with 1.7 per cent growth in revenue of S$32.7 billion in 2003. The figure is expected to continue growing by seven-nine per cent in 2005.
He added that the media business too is moving towards digitisation, radio and cinema, and that his country had recently launched the world’s first fully digital cinema multiplex.
Yang pointed out that Singapore will be spending S$50 million over the next five years to develop an integrated IT platform to better serve the trade and logistics communities. When completed it will enable and create business opportunities in track and trace logistics services, he said. He added that the government, through the Economic Development Board, was setting up a users council to help involve the industry in the project.
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.
