News Broadcasting
Cellcast’s Bid2Win receives 1mn bids in first week
MUMBAI: Cellcast Interactive India Pvt. Ltd., a global interactive digital broadcaster, has claimed that its TV show, Bid2Win launched earlier this month, collected over a million bids in its opening week.
The show is broadcast every evening on Sony, Sahara One, Zoom and Zee Punjabi by using an interactive reverse auction system, Bid2Win. It enables viewers to purchase high-value items such as LCD TVs, iPods, home theatre systems, digital cameras and laptops, at a nominal amount by submitting the lowest unique bid via SMS and IVR.
An official release suggests that, such the show has helped open up the market for premium mobile services in India, thus, Cellcast’s popular format has subsequently been launched in many markets across the Middle East and China.
Commenting on the successful launch of the show in India, Cellcast plc CEO Andrew Wilson says, “Until now, the market for live interactive programming, which has been so successful in other parts of the world, has been constrained in India by extremely low tariffs. With Bid2Win, Cellcast has shown that subscribers are willing to pay for premium mobile services, particularly if they have a strong TV tie-in. With the world’s fastest growing mobile subscriber base and a vibrant multi-platform television industry, India is now ready for the full range of interactive products that Cellcast has proven in other markets.”
Capitalising on its success in India, Cellcast plans to roll-out Bid2Win to other Indian television networks across the globe over the next three months. “Broadcasters can now expand their content offerings to the Indian diaspora beyond the current staple of movies, drama and music and enjoy new revenue streams at the same time,” added Wilson.
Commenting on future growth potential, Cellcast Interactive India CEO Pankaj Thakar says, “We have an exciting range of new products and shows which we expect to launch in India over the next six months. These include Golden Goal, a virtual soccer show to be aired during World Cup; a new virtual cricket show Beat Them All; an interactive astrology show, Interactive Astro; an exciting game similar to Tambola, Go Bingo; the numbers quiz Qeno; a celebrity-based quiz show, The Challenge; an interactive shopping show, Shop-o-holic; an interactive show based on Bollywood, Bollywood Dhamaka and Insomnia, the interactive gameshow enjoying international success.”
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.
