News Broadcasting
Cricket: Finally, AIR gets Indo-England series
NEW DELHI: The cricket soap opera continues to hold centre stage as All India Radio (AIR) today said it has managed to get hold of rights to the on-going India-England cricket series after missing out the first Test.
The second Test cricket, which begins at Mohali, Chandigarh tomorrow now will be available to listeners on 65 medium wave and four FM radio frequencies of AIR.
According to an official of Prasar Bharati, which manages AIR and sibling Doordarshan, after hectic negotiations a deal was swung with the rights holder of Indian cricket, Nimbus, over the last 24 hours.
After the first Test went missing on AIR, there were token protests from various people that a large number of the Indian population will not get to enjoy cricket being played in India.
Though, Prasar Bharati was shy of revealing the financial details — as was Nimbus — the official admitted the asking fee for the rights has been scaled down and the deal is mutually beneficial for everybody concerned.
AIR was deprived of the running commentary of the first Test after it said that the asking price of $ 300,000 for the entire series was “too high”.
It is now learnt that Nimbus, which has had long standing relationship with Prasar Bharati, agreed to pare the rights price considerably.
With this deal, AIR will get to air the remaining part of the cricket series, comprising three Tests and seven one-day internationals.
Meanwhile, Indian cricket board sources indicated that Anil
Ambani-controlled Adlabs, which is yet to start FM radio stations, might land the rights for FM radio that had not been sold till now.
However, when questioned on the issue, an official of the information and broadcasting ministry said it has not cleared cricket commentary as non-news and current affairs programming.
Earlier, Prasar Bharati, along with the ministry, had maintained that cricket commentary cannot be categorized as entertainment and falls under news and current affairs, which is not allowed on private FM radio stations.
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.
