News Broadcasting
Beehive Systems receives first sales order from Middle East
MUMBAI: Beehive Systems, a software and solutions company focusing on the broadcast industry, has set its foot in the Middle East. The multi-national company, which has a development center in India, has received its first sales order from Procast FZ LLC, a Dubai-based broadcasting company.
The order includes Beehive’s digital newsgathering solutions – vid’link and vid’linkMOBILE; a complete graphics creation and data automation solution called isle’wiz and an interactive SMS-TV custom solution called mobile2TV.
The customer will be using vid’link for newsgathering from across bureaus. The system will enable the channel to send live as well as store and forward video clips over leased line networks.
The laptop-based mobile newsgathering equipment, vid’linkMOBILE will be deployed by the client at remote locations for store and forward video transfer over non-conventional mediums like ISDN, dial up internet connections, etc. The advanced code used in the system compresses the video almost 70 per cent more efficiently than other compression standards without compromising on the quality.
The graphics content creation and automation solution, isle’wiz, will be used to automatically create, manage and play out graphics in Arabic. This tool also enables real-time integration of the graphics with data sources and display across multiple zones on the screen without the need for any programming.
Mobile2TV, the fourth application, will allow the broadcaster to build in interactivity in television programmes by integrating viewers’ mobile messages with video display. This allows viewers the benefits of on-air chat.
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.
