News Broadcasting
ESPN School Quiz 2002 concludes with a winner in DPS-Farakka
One of ESPN Star Sports’ most successful on ground initiatives to get closer to the younger generation – ESPN School Quiz 2002 – has just completed a hugely successful run. DPS Farakka walked off with the coveted trophy. DPS Farakka won both the first and the second National finals respectively to emerge All-India winners of the ESPN School Quiz 2002. The team from DPS Farakka walked away with a grand cash prize of Rs 500,000.
While this cash prize will be used by the school to improve the sporting facilities in the school, the team members Suvojit Chakraborty and Rahul Mukherjee will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from ESPN Star Sports in recognition of their quizzing talent. They will be flown to any major international sporting event of their choice from events featured on either ESPN or Star Sports!
In both the National finals DPS Farakka beat Loyola School from Trivandrum and Mt.St.Mary’s School from Delhi quite easily. In the first National final while Mt.St.Mary’s could muster a paltry 5-point tally, Loyola did not disturb the scorekeepers! In the second National final Mt.St.Mery’s scored 23 and Loyola scored 35.
Hosted by popular presenter Harsha Bhogle, The ESPN School Quiz 2002 showcased the best of sports quizzing talent from around the country. As many as 108 schools came through a tough selection process to feature on this unique TV show. To start with, over 2000 teams from 17 cities had to get past a written test. Cities and towns like Bhilai, Bhopal, Darjeeling, Dehradun, Farakka, Gangtok, Indore, Mangalore, Nasik, Siliguri, Shimla, Surat, Tezpur, Vijayawada and Udhagamandalam were represented for the first time. On-ground quizzes were also conducted in 6 cities in the search for the best.
The 27 top teams from each of the four zones – North, South, East and West – were selected for the final phase of ‘On-Air,’ quizzing, giving every one of the 216 students a chance to test their knowledge of sports against the best competition in the country.
Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN Software India Ltd, said: “We at ESPN Star Sports are committed to promoting sporting excellence in India and School Quiz 2002 further exemplifies our effort in this direction. This show provided a unique opportunity for the sports-loving students to pit their knowledge against the best talent across the country and bring pride and glory to their institution.”
Apart from the Grand First Prize, the other prizes were as follows —
The teams winning the National Semi Finals won Rs. 200,000 each (Team Prize)
Zonal Final Winners from each zone won a Trophy (Team Prize) Both team members of all the 12 Zonal Semi-Final Winners received an ESPN Kit each (Individual Prize)
Winners of the Preliminary Rounds from each zone won a Milo wristwatch (Individual Prize)
All participants will received ESPN Certificates Of Excellence
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.
