News Broadcasting
Dhoots target Rs 10 billion this fiscal from V1 online lottery
MUMBAI: While most newly hatched lottery businesses have kept their ambitious plans on hold, prefering to rationalise and streamline their outfits, the Dhoot promoted V1 lottery is firing on all cylinders, targeting a turnover of Rs 10 billion in 2004-05.
V1, which launched on 8 February, and has hardly created a ripple thus far, aims to unleash an ad blitz costing Rs 1500 million in the coming months to lure the lottery player and also intends to launch a 24-hour gaming channel that will draw in the player and tickle the curiosity of the potential lottery enthusiast.
According to Dhoot Entertainment Network CEO Anirudh Dhoot, DEN has already set up 2,500 terminals across the country and plans to tie up with ETC as its television platform to air results, at least for one year. The eight online games, marketed under the V1, Khel Ke Dekho brand name, will soon be expanded to 24, says Dhoot. The ‘Videocon’ brand, which is known for durable products, will play an important role in promoting and marketing of its lottery business aggressively, he says.
According to Dhoot, DEN is the only company in the business which is offering a loan service to prospective franchisees, by offering Rs 90,000 for setting up terminals. It could also be the first company to offer franchisees a payout of eight per cent, which is the highest in an industry where the average hovers around five per cent.
Dhoot says V1, the lottery could well be a lead player in the market as it is strong in retailing and distribution, through its 10,000-strong retail network across the country. Dhoot says other companies and prospective big players failed to make a mark as these companies were new to the retail market and did not have the required retailing and distribution strengths. More importantly, most companies are seeking immediate profit, unlike Videocon, which is targeting long term profits and stability.
According to a company document, the Dhoots also plan to launch a 24-hour gaming channel, also called V1, which apart from sports and business news, will feature programmes related to the gaming.
After having bagged licenses for Meghalaya, West Bengal, Goa, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, the company is now targeting Kerala and Karnataka, where it plans to instal 150 terminals each. Till today, it has deployed 600 terminals in all the five states, and is looking ahead for another 1,200 by the end of this year. The company is also eyeing lottery licenses of the states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Tamil Nadu, says Dhoot.
The company has also struck an alliance with Reliance Infocomm to announce the results of its online lottery through SMS.
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.
