News Broadcasting
Crest secures $40 million funding, D E Shaw to hold 15%
MUMBAI: Crest Animation Studios Ltd. will be getting a capital infusion of up to $40 million from D E Shaw group. The specialised investment and technology development firm will hold 14.99 per cent of Crest and up to 26 per cent of the Indian animation company’s US subsidiary RichCrest Holdings Inc.
The agreement, subject to shareholder approval, also sanctions zero per cent coupon finance for production of animated feature films. D E Shaw comprises a number of entities with approximately $23 billion in aggregate capital.
“The proposed investment comprises several distinct transactions representing an aggregate infusion of up to $40 million,” Crest says in a release today. “This financing cements Crest as one of the few 3-D CGI studios globally that is active in co-production of feature films with a major motion picture distributor,” it adds.
RichCrest Animation Inc., located in Burbank, California, has entered into an agreement to co-produce three full-length 3-D animated feature films in a Joint Venture with Lions Gate Inc., a leading movie distribution company in the United States. The first of the three feature films, titled “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble”, has a planned release in 2008. The second movie project, titled “Alpha & Omega”, is currently in the development stage, and is planned for release in 2009.
Specifically, the investment in Crest is proposed to fund the ongoing expansion and upgrade of Crest’s 3-D animation facilities and to meet the long term working capital requirements of the business. The investment in the subsidiary is to fund the requirements of RichCrest Animation Inc., which is actively involved in the 3D animated movies business.
Says Crest Animation Studios managing director Seemha Ramanna, “D E Shaw has deeply understood the potential of 3-D animation in India and the significant global opportunities for Crest. The proposed investment is custom-tailored to enable Crest and its subsidiaries to build a powerful presence in the 3-D animation business worldwide, across the formats of television, DVD and feature films.”
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.
