News Broadcasting
CBS and UPN team with Ampd Mobile for ‘Numb3rs’ and ‘The King of Queens’
MUMBAI: CBS and UPN have teamed up with mobile entertainment provider Ampd Mobile to bring television programming related content to the Ampd members broadband enabled wireless phones.
Under the agreement, Amp’d Mobile will carry behind the scenes footage, unique previews, interviews and show clips from hit CBS prime time series such as CSI: NY, Numb3rs, and The King of Queens, as well as clips and highlights from Late Show with David Letterman.
Amp’d Mobile will also exclusively program mobile video content from UPN’s top-rated series America’s Next Top Model, in addition to content from the Network’s hit comedies Everybody Hates Chris and Girlfriends.
“We knew the ‘DVD-extra’ category of behind the scenes footage, highlights and interviews from these key CBS and UPN programs would be at the top of our members’ ‘must have’ list,” said Amp’d Mobile senior VP content and Internet services Seth Cummings.
CBS and UPN content on Amp’d Mobile will be available later this month.
Amp’d Mobile is the first mobile entertainment company created to bring broadband wireless services to the youth market. Its members will have access to entertainment branded channels on their cell phones in which they can download video, wallpapers, ringtones and voicetones, all easily accessible through the Amp’d Live program guide.
“Amp’d is an exciting new entertainment destination in the mobile world, and a great place to showcase our content to the younger audiences and early adopters they are targeting,” said CBS Digital Media VP Wireless Cyriac Roeding. “The cell phone is the most personal medium; we see great opportunities here to create personal connections that deepen our viewers relationship to the program, or to creatively expose new viewers to CBS and UPN content.”
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.
