News Broadcasting
CASBAA convention to address television industry issues
MUMBAI: Asian pay TV growth, video piracy, opportunities from China and the roll-out of 3G services will top the agenda when the regions leading broadcasters and satellite and cable operators meet this year at the annual Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) Convention in Hong Kong from 27-29 October.
“This is a great time for the regions cable and satellite broadcasters to come together, with massive opportunities opening up in China and from the genuine convergence of broadband and wireless technologies,” said CASBAA chairman Marcel Fenez.
“The China wireless market alone, with more than 300 million subscribers and a fast-growing mobile data segment, is one of the worlds great media and entertainment prospects. The CASBAA event is where the industry meets to understand the market dynamics and meet the decision-makers.”
The CASBAA Convention 2004 will hear from senior broadcast and studio executives, specialists on technology, and regulation and industry leaders from growing markets such as China, Korea and India.
Among the keynote addresses, Sony Pictures Television International president Michael Grindon and Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie will speak on corporate strategies in the current industry environment, GE chief marketing officer Beth Comstock will give the global view on Asian advertising, and Harmonic Convergent Systems president Yaron Simler will examine the impact of digital video.
One panel session will reveal new estimates on the impact of pay-TV piracy in the region and the latest strategies in tackling theft of content, and another will be devoted to advertising and advertising agencies.
On Day two, the technology spotlight will be on wireless content and MMORPGs Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Games.
The Day three fora will be devoted wholly to the China market, with sessions on wireless entertainment and business models for digital content. China International TV Corp president Li Jian will speak on the Chinese media groups global ambitions.
CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies said this years line-up of speakers and topics goes well beyond the pay TVs industry traditional boundaries.
“With the focus on the key areas of advertising, technology and the China market, we examine some of the central issues of the day,” Twiston Davies said. “The conference is all about approaching the new convergence technologies as platforms for delivery of multi-channel content.”
He said the event has also extended into vertical markets such as wireless and multimedia content which are becoming increasingly important to Asian pay TV operators and content owners.
The CASBAA Convention 2004 will be held at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 27-29 October, presented by InvestHK and with CableTV and StarTV as official partners.
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.
