News Broadcasting
BCCI to finalise India cricket telecast deal by mid-January
NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will finalise awarding of telecast rights in approximately 21 days time by when some uncertainties on government norms relating to broadcasting are likely to get cleared.
We should be finalizing the telecast deals by mid-January by when more clarity will come on issues like sharing of sporting events with Doordarshan if a private broadcaster wins the rights, BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi said today.
However, the tenders for the telecast rights will be floated towards month-end, which will also give the BCCI time to study the various pros and cons relating to broadcasting issues vis-?-vis new media norms.
But buoyed by the more than enthusiastic response for team sponsorship rights, the BCCI expects the telecast rights to fetch good money.
At one level, I dont think the Doordarshan angle should be a hindrance as telecasting the matches on DD will mean more eyeballs for all sponsors, said Modi, whose company Modi Entertainment Network used to handle the distribution of Ten Sports in India till some months back.
We expect the telecast bids to be on the higher side, he added.
According to latest government norms, all sporting events of national importance will have to be shared on a mandatory basis with Doordarshan by private satellite broadcasters. This issue has raised the hackles of the industry and the likes of Ten Sports and ESPN Star Sports have moved court against such stipulations that also cover events for which deals had been signed earlier.
Last time round the BCCI, under a different regime, had invited bids for Indian cricket in 2004, Zee Telefilms had topped the charts with an initial quote $ 260 million, followed closely by ESS at $ 230 million. ESS had subsequently upped its offer to $ 308 million which Zee, being the initial highest bidder had matched and was awarded the rights. The matter had then landed in the courts after ESS, on technical grounds, contested the awarding of the rights to Zee. Since then the telecast issue has been in and out of various Indian courts.
Interestingly, todays bidding process for Indian cricket teams sponsorship rights at a five star hotel in Delhi was observed keenly by representatives from Cricket Australia, including its chairman.
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.
