News Broadcasting
Digital TV products need to be more user-centric: ITC study
LONDON: New research put out by UK’s Independent Television Commission (ITC) has recommended that a more user-centred design approach is needed for digital TV products in order to ensure that everyone is able to participate in and benefit from the digital television revolution.
This was the central theme of Easy TV 2002, an event organised on 6 November in London by the ITC, the Consumers’ Association and the Design Council as part of an ongoing initiative launched last year to promote the need for easier to use digital television equipment.
Chaired by broadcaster Muriel Gray and opened by Dr Kim Howells, minister of state at the department of culture, media and sport, the launch brought together designers and manufacturers of digital TV as well as politicians, broadcasters and consumer groups.
It followed the first Easy TV conference in November last year, aimed at highlighting public attitudes to technology, media consumption and digital TV.
While the functionality of digital TV equipment is dramatically increasing, user abilities are not. The greatest impact of this trend will be on the ageing population which has most to benefit from enhanced entertainment and information services, but who are the group most likely to face the biggest usability barriers, an ITC release states. The findings were based on a survey carried out across the UK of over 1,300 members of the public.
The research highlights the following points:
– User-centred design, based on listening to viewers and designing digital TV products and services for their needs, will help both viewers and industry alike.
– Users across all demographic groups, having used a range of current digital services, recommended that a number of simple measures including: fewer buttons on remote controls, clearer labelling on the remote, quicker feedback following responses to button presses and simpler user manuals, would make digital receiver equipment significantly easier to use.
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.
