News Broadcasting
Dori to launch Telenovella channel in Indonesia
MUMBAI: International media company Dori Media International (DMI) has announced that it has signed an agreement with Indovision, Indonesia’s first Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) provider, to launch a Telenovela TV channel in Indonesia.
DMI will create, produce, acquire and package all content for the channel at its own expense, which will be branded under DMI’s International brand as well as under Indovision’s brand called Vision 2. The agreement is for a minimum period of 10 years, during which Indovision will pay DMI a consideration of 50 per cent from any income derived from the channel.
Vision 2 is expected to be launched in March 2006 as the first telenovela dedicated channel in South East Asia. The channel will broadcast between 18 and 24 hours of programming per day and will be dubbed in Bahasa Indonesia.
DMG president and CEO Nadav Palti commented, “We are very excited to launch our first international TV channel according to the planned schedule. This is in line with our strategy to become a leading international Telenovela broadcaster. Indonesia is a key market in South East Asia, and Indovision is a natural partner for us being the largest DTH operator in Indonesia and is expected to extend the reach of the channel to millions of households in the country.”
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.
