News Broadcasting
Cinevista stocks whimper at debut
After the IT stocks hit rock bottom it’s the turn of media stocks to do the same. Even as Zee Telefilms stocks continue to fall, Cinevista has made its debut at the most fragile time when the sentiments of the new economy stock markets are at all time low.
Cinevista opened its shares to the public in February at a price of Rs 300 per share. The markets then were all gung-ho about the new economy stocks and Cinevista’s stocks were over subscribed 200 times. Zee was at its all time high at Rs 1630 per share. But since then the price of Zee has come down by more than half.
In keeping with the trends Cinevista also closed the day at Rs 293.35. Its stock continued to swing between Rs 136 and Rs 329 throughout the day. This despite the fact that media stocks are not as fragile as the dotcom stocks.
This, analysts say is definitely not a healthy trend. The highly debatable valuation techniques adopted by the dotcom and media companies are now being exposed with Sebi officials taking the matter in their own hands.
These trends will hopefully deter many other media companies’ who want to jump into the IPO wave. The most anticipated media stocks which could do some rethinking are Deeraj Kumar promoted Creative Eye Ltd and Pritish Nandy’s Pritish Nandy Communication Ltd.
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.
