News Broadcasting
Doordarshan chooses USVO’S anti-piracy solution
MUMBAI: Indian pubcaster Doordarshan (DD) will be using MediaSentinel to protect their content distribution in a three month trial program.
DD would be among the first of the world’s largest networks and the first public broadcaster to deploy piracy deterrence technology to protect profits by thwarting pirates.
MediaSentinel is an anti-piracy workstation developed by USA Video Interactive Corp.
The trial with Doordarshan was initiated by First Serve Entertainment, Inc., one of Vijay Amritraj’s group of companies, which exclusively represents USVO and markets and sells the MediaSentinel technology in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and non-exclusively in other parts of the world. USVO had announced a marketing agreement with First Serve Entertainment last year.
“This test and use of MediaSentinel by India’s national public broadcaster is to be saluted and commended as the first effort of its kind to deter rampant piracy in a huge marketplace like India, where hundreds of millions of dollars are lost by domestic and foreign producers. We hope others take cue from the public broadcaster. MediaSentinel needs to be deployed if the Indian media and film industry wants to give law enforcement the tool to trace and catch pirates. The Indian government’s initiative should definitely lead a wave of interest across China and the rest of Asia, where piracy is believed to cause billions of dollars of losses,” said First Serve Entertainment Inc chief operating officer Munish Gupta.
“We are very pleased that Doordarshan, one of the most important broadcasters in the world, has chosen to test and try MediaSentinel for their anti-piracy needs. We will be working hard to ensure this is a successful trial and the first step towards a smooth integration of MediaSentinel into Doordarshan’s operations as the frontline solution protecting their intellectual property. This deal validates our anti-piracy solution, our international sales efforts, and our partnership with First Serve Entertainment,” said USVO chief executive officer Edwin Molina.
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.
