News Broadcasting
Doordarshan selects OmniBus for news automation
MUMBAI: The UK headquartered Omnibus System, the provider of broadcast automation and asset management solutions, announced that it will provide pubcaster Doordarshan with news automation and broadcast content management for a new, server-based, news system to be installed in its new headquarters in New Delhi.
The system will provide journalists with integrated desktop search and edit functions, running inside the AP ENPS journalist workstations. Media content can be viewed and manipulated even as it is still recording, allowing stories to be created and played to air in a very rapid and efficient manner from the Omnibus News Playout suite.
Omnibus will also provide all the machine and broadcast device management to enable complex MOS rundowns created in the newsroom computer system to be played out effortlessly, while retaining frame accuracy for all primary, secondary, and tertiary events scheduled within any item in the MOs playlist, states an official release.
Doordarshan engineer-in-chief Ganessan delivered the order to Omnibus on its IBC2005 exhibition stand on 11 September. “Doordarshan is very pleased to give this order to Omnibus and their Indian partners, Shaf Broadcast Pvt. Ltd, who will act as system integrator for the project. This will be the second project that Omnibus and Shaf have completed for Doordarshan, having installed a transmission suite at the C.P.C. site three years ago. We have a long and successful relationship with Omnibus and Shaf and hope it continues for many years to come,” he said.
“Omnibus is proud to be part of this prestigious project for Doordarshan, and further strengthens our commitment to Doodarshan and the Indian market as a whole,” said Omnibus Systems sales manager Iain Wood.
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.
