News Broadcasting
Discovery looks to hook viewers with Olympics celebration
MUMBAI: In a little over a month’s time the biggest sporting extravaganza The Athens Olympics will kick off. While Doordarshan will have coverage of the same Discovery has announced a series of specials under the programme band Athens Games Special Week.
The aim is to give viewers feel of what the ancient Olympians were like and how the event developed over the years.
The specials air on 16 July and from 9 – 13 August at 8 pm. The Real Olympics will show that even before Christ was born cheating, bribery and financial scandals were very much a feature of the Games. The two programmes will also mix footage with computer generated images to show the difference between the ancient pagan ritual and the modern games.
Another special Beastly Games depicts the Roman tradition of holding to the death animal fights. Romans would procure and transport thousands of wild animals from different corners of their empire. The aim was to satiate enthusiasm for this bloodthirsty sport. Marathon meanwhile will show how Persians fought the Greeks during ancient times. Persia was determined to punish Athens as it was supporting the revolt of Greek cities in Asia Minor.
On a different note the channel has also announced a series Animal Face Off. This will air on Thursdays at 8 pm. Natures top predators go head to head on a virtual battlefield. Through 3D animation the programme will showcase gladiator style contests between different animals like the king of the jungle the lion versus the tiger, the great white shark versus the crocodile.
Each animal’s characteristics will be examined and measured. Biometric machines modelled with 3D technology will be constructed to build sets of animal jaws.
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.
