News Broadcasting
BBC’s Jana Bennett the keynote speaker at MIPTV, Milia
MUMBAI: BBC Television director Jana Bennett will kick off proceedings at MIPTV and Milia 2004. The event takes place in Cannes from 29 March – 2 April.
In her keynote speech she will dwell on The Future of Television Programming in a Cross-Platform World. Bennett replaces former BBC DG Greg Dyke as the opening keynote speaker. Dyke resigned from the BBC in January following the Hutton report.
In her speech, Bennett will underline the growing importance of convergence to television executives – a subject which is set to be at the heart of this years MIPTV and Milia. Event attendees will come together to explore new business opportunities created by the increasing links between traditional television, digital technology and content, and new distribution platforms.
To facilitate this exchange of views, the Milia 2004 conference programme will offer sessions looking at networked home entertainment, cross-platform content creation, participation television and new distribution opportunities provided by the emerging broadband and mobile channels. In addition, content security solutions, as well as on-line and mobile games, will be featured.
On 31 March, Sony Pictures Digital Networks (US) executive VP Patrick Kennedy will deliver a keynote speech on the Future of Entertainment for the Always-On Generation. Another keynote speech at the event is Mobile ntertainment: The Next Generation. This will examine the impact of mobile telephony on the entertainment industry. The speaker is News Corp senior VP content and marketing Lucy Hood.
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.
