News Broadcasting
Cartoon Network brings toons to book
First Toon Cricket, and now toon merchandising. Cartoon Network is determined to cash in on its popularity in the subcontinent by creating brands out of its characters.
Warner Brothers has tied up with Gotham Entertainment Group to produce comic books featuring Cartoon Network’s popular cartoon stars. Dexter, Johny Bravo, the Powerpuff Girls, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones and The Jetsons will now speak in local languages in comic, colouring and storybooks for kids via a licensing agreement between Warner Brothers consumer products worldwide publishing and Gotham Entertainment Group in India. Needless to say, Cartoon Network denizens will now assail kids not only on TV, but also on the streets, at school and in their rooms.
All the books in the series will first be published in English, with plans to publish in Indian languages including Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu before the year is out.
The 36-page comics will be brought out every month and will be made available nationwide at bookstores and newsstands for Rs 10 each. Gotham will also launch activity books, colouring books, stickers and game books featuring the Cartoon Network characters. The books in the series will help develop memory, reading and spelling skills, and an opportunity to learn scientific experiments using simple household items.
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.
