News Broadcasting
ESS bags rights for Uefa ‘Euro 2004’ for the Indian Sub-continent
MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is going to play football in a major way this year. The broadcaster has announced that it has acquired the Uefa Euro 2004 broadcasting rights for the Indian Sub-continent. This is considered to be the second most important soccer property after the Fifa World Cup.
The event which takes place from 12 June to 4 July will see 16 European teams competing including France, England, Germany and Italy. 50 of Uefa’s 51 participating teams were included in the draw to qualify for the first 15 spots. The host country Portugal qualified automatically.
ESPN Software India MD RC Venkateish was quoted in an official release saying, ” Considered one of the biggest competitions on the sporting calendar, Euro has a strong fan following in India. As the telecast times on our chanel are at around 9:30 pm in India, we expect the tournament to attract a lot of viewers nationally. The event provides an exciting and clutter-free environment to our advertisers to reach its target audiences. It is also happening at a time when there is no other global sporting event.”
The event will have 31 matches including 24 first round matches. In addition to the live telecasts ESS will also produce daily half hour pre-match highlights complemented with four weekly one-hour highlights. The football package will include specials such as The Story of the Uefa European Football Championships, The Road to Uefa Euro 2004, The Golden Moments, The Stars of the Uefa European Football Championships and The Stars of Uefa Euro 2004.
The latest acquisition complements the broadcaster’s coverage of the English Premier League (EPL), Uefa Champions League, Uefa Cup and Spanish Primera Liga. Recently the network concluded an exclusive four-year agreement with Englands governing body of football, The Football Association (The FA).
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.
