News Broadcasting
Canal+ opens up digital market on DTT platform
MUMBAI: Canal+Technologies, a leading provider of interactive TV software solutions with more than 14 million set-top boxes deployed around the world, has announced the launch of CJSC TELEMEDIUM’s first Russian DTT platform, secured by the companies’ conditional access system, MEDIAGUARD.
Canal+Technologies’ MEDIAGUARD conditional access system is highly flexible and scalable to secure content delivery for the specific needs of terrestrial broadcast services. The new service will allow users to receive an enhanced value Pay-TV offering of premium and thematic channels including movies, entertainment and news. Viewers can avail of six different channels including CNBC Europe and Euronews for a complete overview of regional and global news, National Geographic channel for adventure and nature lovers, Fox kids, MCM music channel, TV XXI for eclectic movie choices and Eurosport for sports events.
VP Sales, Canal+ Technologies Thierry Maupetit says, “We are looking at the Asian subcontinent as the market of the future for us. After deploying our solutions in Europe, we are looking forward to Conditional Access Systems being given a go-ahead in India. The high-rate of television consumption and the growing needs of the organised cable TV sector are clear indicators that India will soon be one of the leading regions and we are all set to provide our solutions for cable, DTH and DTT platforms.”
C+T has recently announced its entry to the Indian Conditional Access Software market and is already in talks with a number of prospective clients for its products – MEDIAGUARD (conditional access system) and MEDIAHIGHWAY (middleware). C+T has already provided its solutions to Zee TV in India and is to license its conditional access system to Himachal Futuristic Corporation Ltd. (HFCL) to manufacture STBs for direct-to-home (DTH) and digital terrestrial transmission (DTT).
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.
