News Broadcasting
BCCI invites DD to bid for telecast rights of Indo-Pak series
NEW DELHI: Even as the Supreme Court is hearing cricket-related cases, the Indian cricket board has asked Indian pubcaster Doordarshan to make a bid for the telecast rights of the forthcoming India-Pakistan series.
A senior official of Prasar Bharati, which manages DD and All India Radio, today admitted that a request has come from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) urging DD to bid for the Indo-Pak series.
The official indicated that considering the controversy telecast rights have got entangled in, the pubcaster stands a good chance of bagging the rights; albeit by default.
Though the official confirmed that DD would put in a bid, after doing some revenue projections, he refused to indicate any figures.
The Prasar Bharati official also said that from the just-concluded cricket series featuring India,South Africa and Australia and the lone one-dayer against Pakistan, revenues worth approximately Rs 1 billion had been mopped up by DD.
Considering that BCCI would be paid Rs 820 million as a rights fee — after taking into account reduced number of actual playing days due to truncated Tests on some controversial pitches — DD claims to have ended up making some profit.
SC RESUMES HEARINGS IN BCCI CASE
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today observed that election of president for BCCI should be held in such a manner that it should be acceptable to the general public considering the importance of the Board.
According to a Press Trust of India (PTI) report, this observation came from a bench headed by N Santosh Hegde, which was hearing a petition filed by the BCCI challenging a Madras High Court order restraining the newly elected Board from functioning, and appointing Justice S Mohan as an interim administrator.
The apex court had stayed the Madras High Court order allowing BCCI president Ranbir Singh Mahendra to resume function, but had restrained former president Jagmohan Dalmiya from becoming the patron-in-chief.
BCCI counsel A M Singhvi argued that Board had committed no irregularities by preventing certain so-called representatives of the state cricket associations as their legally nominated representatives took part in the election held at Kolkata.
Earlier, BCCI informed the Supreme Court that Dalmiya is discharging functions as the president of the Board as the old Board headed by him has not ended its tenure.
Appearing for BCCI, senior advocate A M Singhvi said as the AGM of the Board at Kolkata on September 29 and 30 could not be concluded due to an interim order by a Chennai civil court, the old Board under Dalmiya still continues to function.
The bench said “that means de jure today Ranbir Singh Mahendra is not the president of BCCI,” PTI reported.
The bench also told the counsel: “When we permitted the new office bearers’ functioning, you had not brought this to our notice.”
Arguments relating to this case are likely to continue tomorrow also.
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.
