News Broadcasting
CCTV uses Tandberg Television MPEG-4 AVC HD system for Fifa coverage
MUMBAI: Tandberg Television has announced that it is enabling China Central Television (CCTV) to provide its viewers with high definition coverage of live games from the Fifa 2006 World Cup in Germany.
CCTV is using Tandberg Television’s award-winning MPEG-4 AVC HD encoding and decoding solutions to maximize the bandwidth of its DS3 international link and its local delivery network.
CCTV is one of the 150 operators from 145 countries that have broadcasting rights from Fifa’s Host Broadcast Services (HBS). Live feeds from matches in 12 German cities are being broadcast around the world, including the final in Berlin on 9 July. For almost a year, CCTV has been broadcasting an HDTV service using a Tandberg MPEG-2 head-end system, states an official release.
“Broadcasting the World Cup in high definition is not only a magnificent achievement in its own right, but is also an excellent preparation for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing,” says CCTV chief engineer Ding Wen Hua. “The implication for large-scale broadcasting in HD is immense and this is a significant event in the Chinese, and Asian, television industry.”
As well as using Tandberg’s advanced HD compression, CCTV is the first broadcaster in Asia to use the new professional multi-format MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC SD/HD decoder, the Tandberg RX1290, which is being launched at Broadcast Asia this week.
he Tandberg RX1290 receiver is the world’s first multi-format MPEG-2/MPEG-4 AVC decoder, capable of processing and decoding more video formats than any other receiver and enabling network operators and broadcasters to deliver content from studio to studio and across networks to regional head-ends and affiliates, the release adds.
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.
