News Broadcasting
Balaji Telefilms forms movie business subsidiary
MUMBAI: In a significant move, Balaji Telefilms Ltd. has decided to set up a wholly owned subsidiary company to manage its movie business.
The company has tentatively been titled Balaji Motion Pictures. “The entire business related to movies will be transferred to the subsidiary company,” a company statement says.
Balaji Telefilms has so far taken a cautious approach to the movie business and has no releases this fiscal. The company produced two films in the last fiscal and raked in a revenue of Rs 104 million, incurring a minor loss. While Kya Kool Hai Hum was a success, the second film Koi Aap Sa didn’t fare well in the box office.
The leading TV content company then decided to venture into co-production deals as a de-risk strategy. Balaji tied up with White Feather Films, a company started by Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Gupta, for producing Shoot Out at Lokhandwala at Rs 120 million which is expected to release in the next financial year.
Balaji Telefilms has posted a 49.26 per cent jump in net profit to Rs 214.76 in the third quarter ended 31 December. Income from operations rose 21.49 per cent to Rs 850.30 million.
Revenue mix from commissioned and sponsored programing
Commissioned category continues to drive Balaji’s revenues.
How the channels stack up
The channel-wise revenue distribution during the third quarter of the current fiscal is as follows:
Programming split
The hour wise programming distribution during the quarter breaks up in favour of the commissioned category.
Change in Programming during the quarter
The following serial/s went off air during the quarter ended 31 December 2006.
Serials on air
As on 31 December 2006 the following 15 serials were on air on various channels.
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.
