News Broadcasting
Concrete Pictures helps brand Discovery Mobile
MUMBAI: Recognising and responding to the needs of an evolving media landscape, Concrete Pictures has extended the efforts of its team to include mobile phone platforms.
The creative agency has announced the completion of a branding and graphics package for the recently launched Discovery Mobile, a 24-hour mobile programming network featuring original content from across Discovery’sfamily of networks including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel and Discovery Health Channel.
T“Tackling the design challenges of mobile phones, Concrete delivered a graphics package that is visually engaging, representative of the Discovery brand and well-suited for the small screen,” said Douglas Craig, vice president, new media, Discovery Communications.
Spearheading the Discovery project for Concrete Pictures was Paul Westergard, Creative Director. His creative crew designed a graphics package based entirely on organic boxes, which open, close and shift around the screen to reveal new information. The compact nature of mobile phone screens demanded that the graphics be over-sized with a dark background, so Concrete’s team incorporated this into the logo animations and menu bumpers created for the project.
Concrete Pictures’ senior VP, creative services Andy Hann says, “We have enjoyed a long and rewarding working relationship with Discovery Communications. This latest project added a new dimension to the whole picture, and we look forward to continuing to expand this area of our business with Discovery and other partners.”
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.
