News Broadcasting
AXN to add one-hour Hindi feed from 5 Jan
MUMBAI: ‘AXN now speaks the Indian language,’ says the release, but didn’t the channel go blue in the face denying any such plans just recently?
As a New Year “bonanza”, AXN will introduce a dual feed in Hindi and English from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm every Monday to Friday, starting Monday, 5 January.
The feed will premiere with the popular Ripleys Believe It or Not . Incidentally, it was in September last that a media report had quoted AXN assistant vice president marketing and sales Rohit Bhandari saying a dual feed was in the offing. Later AXN Asia marketing V-P Gregory Ho denied the possiblity in an interview.
When contacted Bhandari offered, “Yes at that time we were considering the propositions, but nothing was decided. When I spoke to the daily, all I said was that a programme like Ripley’s believe it or not would be popular even if it was made in any Indian language and I was assured of its success if I were to dub it. The newspaper created a headline stating that we were going for a dual feed. It was completely incorrect. Me saying that I want to get married doesn’t translate into me getting married soon!”
The channel will be introducing the dual feed on an experimental basis, only one hour per day, for about three months. Bhandari offered that besides the show, the channel would also be dubbing six odd movies.
Audience who wish to to get the Hindi feed will have to contact their cable operators and make arrangementa.
There is a likelihood of the channel gradually include some other high rated shows in the one-hour time block, but that again will depend on the popularity of this experiment, says Bhandari.
According to the channel, the attempt is to establish a connect with its audiences and broaden its viewership base.
SET’s executive vice president Rohit Gupta was quoted in the release as saying, “AXN has been very successful in striking a fine balance between managing a firmly entrenched international brand while infusing just the required amount of local flavour to give viewers the Buzz. AXN constantly ups its ante by bringing viewers a unique mix of on-air programming and off-air activities, whether its bringing Indias first reality TV show the AXN Extreme Dhamaka, the AXN Hot N Wild Contest or introducing the latest dual feed.”
“Banking on its unique positioning and solid brand familiarity, we are sure this initiative is going to be a huge success with the Hindi speaking viewers thereby enabling AXN to effectively build bridges with a larger audience base and entrench its roots further” he adds.
Just some more proof (if proof were needed) as to the importance of the Indian viewer’s sensibilities to channels that have a pan-Asian reach?
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.
