News Broadcasting
Countdown begins for CommunicAsia2006 and EnterpriseIT2006
MUMBAI: CommunicAsia and Enterprise IT, the region’s foremost technology shows, will be returning once again to the Singapore Expo from the 20 to 23 June.
CommunicAsia, EnterpriseIT and BroadcastAsia are key components of the five-day Infocomm Media Business Exchange (imbX) which is held annually in Singapore in the month of June.
Reflecting the buoyant market and the latest trends, some of the key technologies addressed on the show floor include mobile entertainment, IPTV, 3G, VoIP, NGN, WiMAX, information security and embedded technologies, states an official release.
Visitors from India can expect to see the latest innovations from the most influential world vendors and operators, including Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE, NTT Docomo, Lucent, Motorola, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and LG among many others. The event will also feature 21 international group pavilions including Thailand, US, Korea, the European Union and China among others, in addition to the ESC-led Indian pavilion.
India continues to have the fastest growing ICT market in the world, with a predicted combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19 percent from 2004 through 2008, according to research house Gartner. Gartner estimates that ICT spending in India will surpass US$54.8 billion by 2008, a rise from US$29.5 billion in 2004. Reflecting the surge in ICT demand in India, a total of 555 Indian visitors attended CommunicAsia and EnterpriseIT in 2005, posting a 25 per cent increase over 2004.
The focus of the high-powered CommunicAsia Summit this year turns towards mobile applications, broadband and next generation networks as the industry’s three key growth areas Some of the top-notch speakers include Andrew Sukawaty, CEO and chairman of Inmarsat, Joseph Anton Aliagas, CEO of Arena Mobile Music, Skuli Mogensen, CEO & founder of OZ, Craig Wilson, IBM’s Asia Pacific director for Digital Media and Telecommunications, Craig Farrill, CEO of Kodiak Networks and Thorsten Heinz, Siemens CTO.
Making its presence felt on the international market through CommunicAsia and EnterpriseIT are home-grown companies including Acceltree Software, Kaveri Telecom Products, Matrix Telecom and MRO-TEK, as well as companies under the Indian national pavilion led by the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC). These include BSMC Power Systems, Elitecore Technologies, Euclid Infotech, Lepton Software Export & Research, Svarn Telecom and Toshniwal Enterprises Controls. Indian telco giant Shyam Telecom will also be exhibiting at the event, the release adds.
Victor Wong, project director of CommunicAsia and EnterpriseIT said, “CommunicAsia, alongside EnterpriseIT, is the most established ICT show in Asia and the ideal platform to launch and showcase new technologies and services to the world that will transform the way we live. Not only is CommunicAsia a highly relevant event to the needs of Indian visitors to the event, it is an important platform for India to showcase its ICT capabilities to the world and to forge international business links.”
According to International Data Corp (IDC), new technologies entering the telecommunications marketplace are redefining the industry. The telecom services market in Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) is projected to exceed US$170 billion, posting a growth of seven percent compared to last year. This growth is likely to come from VoIP, broadband and 3G services.
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.
