News Broadcasting
Europe’s Ariane rocket lofts US TV satellite sucessfully
European space rocket Ariane 44LP successfully placed a large satellite in orbit for DirecTV, the biggest US subscription TV channel early this morning.
The Ariane 44LP workhorse version having two liquid and two solid strap-on boosters was launched from the European Space Agency’s launch pad at Kourou, French Guiana, on schedule at 9:35 pm and DirecTV-4S satellite separated from the launcher about 21 min later as per a press release from Arianespace.
DirecTV-4S will be placed in geostationary orbit west of the Galapagos Islands, providing a digital footprint across the entire United States of America. DirecTV is the largest satellite television provider in the United States serving 10 million subscribers. The satellite will be used by California-based DirecTV to provide digital television service with more than 300 channels of additional capacity to deliver additional local channels.
Direct Tv-4S, a 4.3-tonne payload is the third satellite launched by Ariane for DirecTV. Among the earlier five satellites under DirectTV’s umbrella , DirecTV-1 was launched in December 1993 and DirecTV-3 followed in June 1995 through Arianespace.
EchoStar Communications, DirecTV’s nearest rival, won a bidding war for the company last month against US-Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch with the deal being subject to clearing several regulatory hurdles.
Arianespace chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Luton noted that tonight’s flight was with the 200th spacecraft built by Boeing Satellite Systems.
Luton also added that DIRECTV-4S set a record for pre-launch processing as the satellite was launched just two and a half weeks after its arrival in French Guiana, to make this the shortest satellite campaign in the history of Ariane, and to satisfy the requirements of customer Direct TV-4S.
The DIRECTV-4S platform will be the first spacecraft in the DIRECTV fleet to use highly focused spot beam technology, allowing the company to expand its local channel offerings in metropolitan markets.
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.
