News Broadcasting
Discovery launching science-focussed initiative Channel Quest in 2002-03
The Discovery Channel has announced that the 2002-03 season will include the launch of Discovery Channel Quest, a new initiative designed to inspire and fund the next generation of scientific achievement.
An official release informs that over the past two decades, the Discovery Channel has provided the resources for research that resulted in groundbreaking finds including the recovery of the Liberty Bell 7 space capsule, identification of two new dinosaur species.
Discovery Channel Quest seeks to expand this legacy by funding projects, scientists and explorers who are at the vanguard of their fields. These research activities will be chronicled via online and televised despatches from sites around the world, lecture series, and landmark television specials that capture the toil, genius, setbacks and exhilaration that are the lifeblood of the search for knowledge the release states.
Executive VP and GM Discovery Channel Clark Bunting said: “At a time when many programmers are looking to retrench and conserve, the Discovery Channel is aggressively investing in the highest quality original programming, specials and initiatives like Discovery Channel Quest.
This is the key to expanding our already strong position in an increasingly cluttered television world, and we are looking forward to delivering programming that continue to engage and surprise viewers as well as enabling science and exploration that may change our view of the world.”
In addition. the channel announced that the 2002-03 schedule will see six new original series. They include Hi-Tech History which blends past and future by using 21st century technology and techniques to answer the lingering questions of histories’ greatest mysteries. People Watch combines real life video footage with expert scientific, anthropological and psychological perspectives to analyse everyday behaviors that most of us take for granted.
James Cameron’s Expedition Bismarck will be the first programme emanating from the Discovery Channel Quest initiative. The director of Titanic searches for the German battleship DKM Bismarck. The program chronicles his personal quest for the submerged wreck and seeks new information and answers to how this seemingly invincible ship was destroyed on its maiden voyage.
The Discovery Channel and BBC will reunite in 2002-03 for a wide range of high profile specials. The coming year features the next installment in the Walking With… franchise. Cavemen will be featured. This all-new special will use the latest research and computer generated images (CGI) to shed new light on what life was like for our human ancestors. The new series also pioneers deep time-lapse, a visual technique that allows viewers to witness incredible scenes of climate change, geological uplift and environmental turmoil spanning millions of years – all in just a few moments. The Great Pyramid recreates a “builder’s eye view” of the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Other specials coming in 2002-03 include Joined For Life, a program that looks at the daily life of the conjoined 11-year-old Hensel twins. The Hensel family chose Discovery to exclusively document a year in the life of the 11-year-old twins, from March 2001 to March 2002.
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.
