News Broadcasting
Casbaa takes on media & research director
As part of on-going initiatives to enhance the value of Asian pay television as an advertising vehicle, the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has hired a highly experienced executive to make arguments in its favour to the regional advertising industry.
The new Casbaa director, Robert Wilson, whose appointment is immediate, has worked in the Asia Pacific for more than 20 years. His background includes almost a decade of pioneering work in cable and satellite television research and marketing at STAR TV and NBC Asia as well as a recent post at ACNielsen in media research sales and development. Before joining Star TV, Wilson worked for more than a decade with advertising agency Lintas: Worldwide, (now Lowe & Partners) in Australia, the United States, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
“We believe the appointment of Robert will give Casbaa and its member companies a new edge in building a competitive argument for the use of cable and satellite television as an advertising medium,” said Simon Twiston Davies, CEO Casbaa.
A key objective will be to address and evaluate competing local and regional syndicated research services, and, where appropriate, recommend the services Casbaa members should adopt that would further the cause of maximizing advertising revenue for members. “With the help of this initiative we want to see our members improving their return on their considerable media research investments,” said Twiston Davies.
Another objective is to foster the establishment of comprehensive and effective advertising expenditure measurement for cable and satellite channels and, where appropriate, to represent Casbaa member companies on television joint industry research committees.
Robert Wilson will be located in Singapore, reporting to CEO Simon Twiston Davies, adding valuable strength to Casbaa’s presence in Southeast Asia .
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.
