News Broadcasting
Broadcasters sign up for Fifa Club World Cup
MUMBAI: Sports marketing firm iSe International Sports and Entertainment AG reached broadcasting agreements for the Fifa Club World Cup Japan 2006.
It got deals with broadcasters for 219 territories. 199 territories broadcasted the tournament matches live. An additional 20 territories covered the event via news access.
iSe president/CEO George Taylor says, “We are highly pleased with our achievements in selling and delivering the broadcast rights for the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 and especially with the broad coverage we could secure.
” For this second edition of the tournament, it was of utmost importance to again reach the broadest possible global audience to carry the 2006 edition of the tournament into the world, in order to build on the successful implementation last year and to substantially grow it for the many years to come.
“We have again seen competitive games of highly motivated teams that have excited football fans around the world. The Final match on Sunday, which crowned Internacional Porto Alegre of Brazil as the Fifa Club World Champion 2006, was broadcasted into 219 territories.”
iSe had concluded agreements in all continents. In the tournament hosting continent of Asia, ESPN Star Sports covered cable and satellite television in 22 territories corresponding to South Asia, South-East Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. iSe had also awarded exclusive terrestrial, cable and satellite rights to ART Sports in 13 territories. Additional rights were awarded to prestigious broadcasters in individual markets, such as CCTV in China, IB Sports in Korea, ANTV in Indonesia, and others.
In the Americas, iSe had again partnered up with Fox and TV Globo. Fox Sports International covered a total of 47 territories in North America, South America, and the Caribbean. TV Globo had acquired the exclusive broadcast rights in Brazil, the home of 2006 Copa Libertadores champions Internacional Porto Alegre who were crowned FIFA Club World Champion 2006. Televisa carried the terrestrial signal in Mexico.
In Africa, iSe had secured major agreements for complete coverage via all types of TV transmission and languages. In addition to its coverage in Asia, ART Sports was again awarded the exclusive rights in 8 territories in North Africa. This included coverage in Egypt, the home market of CAF Champions League 2006 winner Al Ahly.
LIM was awarded nonexclusive terrestrial rights for Africa in 37 territories, while Supersport had acquired the nonexclusive cable and satellite rights in 38 African territories. In addition, Supersport had secured exclusive rights in South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho. The coverage in Africa was rounded out effectively by an agreement with Canal+. In addition to exclusive terrestrial, cable and satellite rights in France, Canal+ broadcasted the tournament in French language into 48 territories via non-exclusive terrestrial, cable and satellite transmission.
In Europe, a major and exclusive agreement was reached with Media Pro, representing the domestic market of 2006 UEFA Champions League winners FC Barcelona. It broadcasted the event via La Sexta and TV3 Catalunya. Barca TV also showed highlights of the matches. In a successful market-by-market approach, iSe had secured coverage with additional prestigious broadcasters in Europe such as Sport Italia in Italy, Canal+ in France, and many more.
The coverage was completed by various TV news access as well as radio agreements. Reuters and SNTV ensured global news access, the EBU covered prime stations in Europe. In both Spain and Brazil, iSe could sign up four radio stations each.
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.
