News Broadcasting
B4U Movies bags non-India rights for blockbusters
MUMBAI: B4U Movies has announced the acquisition of over 200 films for the domestic and international market. On the international front, B4U will be showcasing the block busters of 2002 such as Devdas, Humraaz and Company .
Additionally, B4U Movies has also acquired international telecast rights and is already promoting films like Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, Na Tum Jano Na Hum, Shakti, Lajja, Pyar Diwana Hota Hai; Vadh, Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche, Akhiyon Se Goli Mare, Hathyar, Agnivarsha in the international market. These films will augment B4U’s existing movie library of 3000-odd Hindi film titles.
While major Indian entertainment networks are attracting criticism for their unrealistically high bids for acquiring the domestic rights of Bollywood blockbusters, the stand-alone channel with its Filmi; very Filmi positioning seems to have scored a point by staying ahead in the battle for the non-India international rights stakes.
B4U Television Network chief marketing officer Rajnish Lall claims: “We can afford to bid for the mega-blockbuster films due to the higher subscription revenues obtained from markets like the US, Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Canada and Mauritius.”
Lall points out that the major networks, that have a bouquet of channels such as the mass entertainment category and the movie channels, could afford to acquire the domestic rights of the mega-blockbusters at extremely steep amounts. “These networks screen the blockbuster movies on the mass entertainment channels first and obtain higher revenues because these mass entertainment channels command higher advertising rates as compared to the niche movie channels,” he points out.
“However, it is a known fact that they have not been able to recover their high investments. As a stand-alone entity, B4U Movies cannot take the risk as we can’t charge a premium on our advertising rates. Moreover, we turned into a pay channel recently and our current subscription revenues cannot justify the costly acquisitions,” Lall admists.
B4U Movies became a pay channel within the first year of operations when it started an encryption feed from August 2002. “Generally, advertisers associate movie channels with female audiences and children. However, a recent survey conducted by The Economic Times showed that B4U Movies scored high in the male SEC AB categories and proved that the channel has a large base of loyal male viewers,” Lall states.
The channel has a total of 18 hours of film-based programming and 6 hours of non film-based shows that revolve around Bollywood. “B4U has earmarked the 5pm to 7pm slot for the non film-based shows. Our research has shown that housewives and children prefer shorter shows during this particular time slot because they are busy with other activities and are unable to keep track of the longish films,” claims Lall.
As far as subscription strategy is concerned, B4U Movies is keen on focusing on certain cities and pockets therein. “We are happy with the fact that the cable operators assure us a minimum guaranteed fee every month. We are not concerned about what they earn over and above the amount they pay us. Such an arrangement has worked out well with several individual cable operators and MSOs who show B4U Movies, ” mentions Lall.
B4U has managed to get a subscriber base of 11.5 million households across the country within a six month time frame. Incidentally, B4U Movies has an equal share of 30 per cent in the western, northern and eastern parts of India. “In fact, B4U has a 70 per cent penetration in Kolkata; higher than any of the other competitors,” claims Lall. However, the channel is weak in South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala) and is doing well in certain pockets of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
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.
