News Broadcasting
David Ellender is FremantleMedia Enterprises CEO
MUMBAI: Television format crestor and distributor Fremantle has announced that David Ellender who is currently Fremantle International Distribution (FID) MD, has been promoted.
He is now FremantleMedia Enterprises CEO. He also joins the company’s operating board. Ellender will now oversee both FID and FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) – the two commercial divisions that report into FremantleMedia Enterprises. FID has a global network of sales offices and licenses over 19,000 hours of programming including American Idol, The Apprentice: Donald Trump, Project Runway and Jamie Oliver series to 150 countries worldwide as well as handling DVD exploitation through Fremantle Home Entertainment.
FLW exploits the company’s brands including Idols, The X Factor and The Apprentice across multiple off-screen platforms including merchandising campaigns, interactive and wireless support and music publishing.
Under Ellender’s leadership FremantleMedia Enterprises will continue to build on its position and its ability to exploit brands in partnership with FremantleMedia’s international network of 25 production companies around the world. FremantleMedia Enterprises is already a substantial contributor to FremantleMedia’s overall profitability.
FremantleMedia CEO Tony Cohen, said: “David has led FID superbly over the last few years, turning it into a distinctive and very profitable distributor of a huge range of factual, entertainment and scripted programming, representing both leading independent producers as well as our own extensive catalogue. He has been responsible for a great turnaround in the division’s operations and his promotion is highly deserved. FLW has also been one of the great success stories of our company in the last few years, both commercially and in the great scope of its activities, from traditional licensing through to telephony and interactive. FLW has an outstanding management team and is now one of the world leaders in its field.”
Ellender says, “I am very proud of my achievements strengthening FID’s portfolio of programming over the last few years and building up a superb team of sales executives. We have worked very hard to establish FID as a leading international distribution company. I am grateful for the opportunity to oversee FLW and look forward to increasing Enterprises contribution to the company going forward.”
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.
