News Broadcasting
DoubleClick, Publicis sign global ad serving agreement
NEW YORK: Under the terms of the agreement DoubleClick will be the preferred ad serving provider for all Publicis affiliates throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia including Optimedia, interactive@optimedia, Zenith Media, Zenith Interactive Solutions, Publicis and Saatchi & Saatchi, according to a new partnership between DoubleClick and Publicis Groupe.
As part of this relationship, Publicis will recommend DoubleClick’s DART for Advertisers solution to any clients for whom the company implements third party ad serving. DART for Advertisers is a hosted advertising management and serving solution, designed to help marketers reach their online goals efficiently and effectively.
DART for Advertisers is part of DoubleClick’s Advertiser Solutions division, which together with MediaVisor, provides comprehensive online advertising solutions to more than 380 advertisers and agencies, including nine of the top ten global advertising agencies.
Director of Strategic Resources at Optimedia Worldwide and the person responsible for the Publicis Groupe relationship with DoubleClick Anthony Jones says, “Publicis companies manage campaigns on behalf of some of the largest advertisers worldwide including Nestle, L’Oreal, Renault, Hewlett Packard and British Airways. Having worked with DoubleClick in Europe for over two and a half years, we are confident that the global deployment of DART for Advertisers will fulfill our clients’ online ad serving needs and further enhance our ability to deliver targeted and effective interactive solutions.”
Companies within Publicis Groupe include; Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, Fallon Worldwide, Publicis & Hal Riney, Frankel, Burrell Communications, Zenith Optimedia Group (25% owned by Cordiant), Nelson Communications Worldwide, Medias & Regies Europe and Publicis Dialog.
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.
