News Broadcasting
CASBAA announces India chapter; Shourie first chairman
MUMBAI: The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) today announced the launch of an India chapter in what it said was a part of their overall regional strategy.
The Indian chapter will be chaired by Discovery India managing director Deepak Shourie and will comprise all the members of the association that currently have representation in the Indian market.
Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea will hold the position of vice chairman of the CASBAA India chapter and the key steering group will comprise Sony Entertainment Television India CEO Kunal Dasgupta, Disney India managing director Rajat Jain and ESPN managing director RC Venkateish.
“Our objective is to highlight the real value of the multi-channel television industry in India. As an industry sector we need to better articulate our central role within the broad communications market. More than this, it is time for India to take its rightful place in the international community and showcase its achievements to the world,” said CASBAA chairman Marcel Fenez.
“By some estimates the pay-TV industry in India is worth up to $5 billion today, providing employment to thousands of highly skilled workers. To fully benefit from this platform we need to ensure that the next stage of our development includes a robust regulatory environment and advanced technologies,” said Shourie.
“Meanwhile, we also believe it is essential that the pay-TV industry in India has a clear voice. We hope that the CASBAA India Chapter will be joined by many other organisations with our common goals of developing a robust and advanced pay-TV market,” he added.
In response to a query posed by Indiantelevision.com, as to why there was no representation of any Indian media companies like the Zee Network on the India chapter of CASBAA; Dasgupta said, “The mandate will be to get everyone in the pay TV supply chain on to CASBAA so that we can monetise the entire supply chain to the maximum efficiency.”
Beyond dealing with day-to-day issues, the CASBAA India chapter will also promote initiatives such as the launch of a pay-TV sales and marketing training scheme in India by the CASBAA Media College and a series of CASBAA seminars on new technologies supporting the pay-TV industry. CASBAA will establish a full-time office in India in the coming months.
“We need to actively recruit new companies to join CASBAA within India so that we reflect the existing profile of the Association in other parts of the region,” said CASBAA Board director responsible for India Issues and CNBC Asia Pacific CEO and president Alexander Brown.
“CASBAA is about more than broadcasters. It represents the interests of a wide range sectors, including the MSOs, the satellite operators, the hardware providers and the original creators of our content. This will be the strength of the CASBAA India Chapter,” Brown added.
The two immediate issues on CASBAA India’s agenda will be, first, to bring the CASBAA conference to India, which is held in Hong Kong every year. Secondly, Dasgupta said that the CASBAA India chapter will be tackling the issue of hotels and pubs that are accessing pay TV and are not adequately compensating the pay channels for it. This is one issue that CASBAA has taken up proactively in Hong Kong.
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.
