News Broadcasting
Casbaa’s listings directory with media magazine
HONG KONG : The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) and Media & Marketing Ltd of Hong Kong are to co-publish the CASBAA & Media Asia-Pacific TV listings directory in Q1 2003. Additionally Casbaa has also launched the CASBAA Fast Facts Media Guide 2003.
The new directory will provide detailed regional and domestic market listings for the broadcast industries in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
Considered to be an important tool for the pan-regional media sector, the new directory will deliver key contact information about the industry for local, national and regional companies. These include cable and satellite broadcasters, system operators, program suppliers, regulatory institutions, trade associations, media services and other related organizations. It will carry free listings of companies and related industry advertising, also providing opportunities for paid expanded listings and the addition of corporate logos.
According to an official release, Casbaa will continue to publish industry data and forecasts regional report, which will also be released in early 2003. Casbaa selected Media & Marketing Ltd., owned by UK-based Haymarket Publications, as its co-publishing partner for the new directory to leverage on Haymarket’s international cross-marketing, sales branding, and design of numerous products.
The CASBAA Fast Facts Media Guide 2003 is an 80-page digest of regional pay-TV data highlighting the growth of cable and satellite TV audiences across Asia Pacific. The CASBAA Fast Facts handbook comprises of around 110 charts and tables of top-line data covering advertising expenditure, broad-based media consumption and audience research in 12 markets, plus regional channel listings. The information includes Peoplemeter data as well as highly targeted regional surveys.
The release also states that the handbook was designed as a tool for advertising sales directors, media buyers, media planners and advertisers with a need for quick reference material about the fastest-growing advertising vehicle in Asia Pacific. The Guide was developed by the CASBAA Research Committee, led by Anthony Dobson of Discovery and CASBAA Media & Research Director Robert Wilson, and sponsored by Bloomberg Television.
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.
