News Broadcasting
CMM-I extends 3-year deal with Shanghai TV Festival
MUMBAI: The independent trade consultancy for China’s media industries CMM Intelligence has announced an extended three year deal with the Shanghai TV Festival (STVF). This deal will see CMM-I further consolidating European presence at one of China’s biggest international TV festival to be held from 17 to 21 June.
Under the new agreement, CMM-I will offer a one stop service for European media companies attending STVF’s International Film & TV Market (18 to 20 June) through the CMM-I European (EU) Pavilion. In addition to management of the central exhibition space, the new agreement allows CMM-I to extend its delivery of value added services, including meeting facilitation, networking functions and trade publications.
Welcoming the agreement, STVF’s market director Zhang Ming noted, “CMM-I is not only one of STVF’s longest standing partners, it continues to be one of the most innovative. This new agreement strengthens Europe’s presence on the trading floor and creates new opportunities for companies to build sustainable trade relationships”.
According to CMM-I MD Anke Redl, STVF continues to be Europe’s preferred trade destination and the new agreement will have a significant impact on how EU companies engage with Chinese media. “Europe still faces massive knowledge gaps and this deal means we can now provide clients with full before, during and post market services. You will see Europe becoming far more prominent in the market”.
First established in 2004, the CMM-I EU Pavilion is the largest international group exhibition at the Shanghai event and brings together broadcasters, production houses and distributors from across the EU. Previous exhibitors have included Granada Media, Channel 4, RTVE, Deutsche Welle, Belgium TV etc. EU Pavilion participants will also benefit from exposure in CMM-I functions and publications, including the European Programming Guide and CMM-I’s proprietary intelligence products.
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.
