News Broadcasting
Coke’s Sunil Gupta joins Dish TV as managing director
MUMBAI: Even as Tata Sky DTH service is set for a mid-2006 launch, Zee’s DTH service Dish TV is ramping up to stay ahead of the competition. The company has roped in former Coke India VP External Affairs, South Asia Sunil Gupta as managing director. Dish TV already has Sunil Khanna as CEO.
While confirming his appointment to indiantelevision.com, Gupta said his initial responsibilities would include increasing Dish TV’s subscriber base and penetration of the service across the country. “We will be launching the movie-on-demand service in December,” he adds.
On being queried about the corporate reporting structure, Gupta said he”will be working along with Khanna.” New Era Entertainment Network Limited (NEENL) manages the affairs of Dish TV. Zee Telefilms holds 20 per cent stake in the company.
Gupta started his career with The Times of India and played a significant role in the launch of the Lucknow edition. He went on to become the CEO of Lucknow Times of India and Navbharat Times. Gupta also launched the Jaipur edition of The Times of India. Then he moved on to Dainik Jagaran and worked in the capacity of MD and managing editor, Delhi.
Gupta also had a stint at Jain TV as COO. At Coke, Gupta started off as director and went on to become VP, Indian operations. He has been with the company since the last four years.
Dish TV had 480,000 subscribers till September-end. But it is signing up around 3,500 customers a day and expects to touch one million subscribers by the end of this financial year. The average revenue per user (ARPU) is reportedly running at Rs 200 per month with services subsidised through the provision of a free annual subscription after a one-time charge of Rs 4,000.
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.
