News Broadcasting
Disneyland to open in Hong Kong in September
MUMBAI: Residents and visitors to Hong Kong will soon be able to interact with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
Disney and the Hong Kong Sar Government have announced that Hong Kong Disneyland will welcome its first guests on 12 September, 2005. As had been earlier reported by indiantelevision.com Disney will launch two channels in India next month.
The theme park and resort, located on Lantau Island, will be Disney’s first theme park in China. Visitors will be able to experience Broadway-style shows, signature Disney attractions, fireworks and parades.
Hong Kong Disneyland Group MD Don Robinson said, “Over the past four years since the announcement of this project, we have been working closely with the Hong Kong SAR Government to make Hong Kong Disneyland a success. We are grateful for their tremendous support in helping us deliver the magic even earlier than expected”.
Hong Kong estimates that this year’s tourist arrivals will cross 21 million. This marks an increase of 37 per cent over last year. The Disneyland project has already created 11,400 jobs during construction. Another 18,000 jobs are expected to be created in phases by opening. In the first 40 years after opening, Hong Kong Disneyland is forecast to bring about a huge economic benefit of $148 billion to Hong Kong as a whole.
Families visiting the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will journey through three themed lands, a Main Street USA and two Disney-style hotels. Two attractions expected to enthrall thousands of guests on a daily basis are Jungle River Cruise and Festivals of the Lion King.
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.
