News Broadcasting
B4U claims tidy profit for FIFA World Cup deferred telecast on DD
As the Fifa World Cup heads for its grand finale tomorrow between perennial favourites Brazil and a determined Germany, some tallies are already being made. B4U Networks, which bought the terrestrial telecast rights from holder Taj Sports, says it managed a good profit from the event.
Speaking about the deferred telecast on national broadcaster Doordarshan, Says B4U’s chief distribution officer Debashish Dey: The tournament was not only a great brand building exercise for us, but we broke even and even managed a tidy profit out of it.”
Responding to doubts as to the how much brand benefit was garnered from it considering that B4U’s name only appeared in the credits, Dey said the telecast on DD1 with repeats on the 36 regional kendras (centres) was benefit enough.
Dey said 70 per cent of the inventories had been sold and this was because the 11 pm timing was ideal if one considered that soccer viewing essentially had a male audience. Dey’s contention was that it was only from 11 pm onwards that the TV remote was in the male hands. His point being that earlier than that it was the woman of the house that decided what was to be watched.
Ten (Taj Entertainment Network) Sports, which held the rights for India, had sold the terrestrial telecast rights to LMB Holdings (promoter of B4U Networks). B4U then thrashed out an an agreement with DD that cleared the way for the deferred telecast on DD of four matches and a daily highlights capsule.
As per the terms of the deal between Taj and LMB, the terrestrial rights allowed for transmission of four full games – the opening game, two semifinals and the finals on a six-hour delayed telecast. They also included a daily hourly highlights package, also on a six-hour delayed basis.
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.
