News Broadcasting
Eutelsat awards contract to deliver Hot Bird 10 broadcast satellite to Astrium
MUMBAI: Global satellite operator Eutelsat has announced that Astrium will build the Hot Bird 10 broadcast satellite which will be launched in first quarter of 2009 and positioned at the Group’s 13 degrees East location.
Following Hot Bird 8 and 9, it is the third high-power broadcast satellite based on Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 platform that will be located at Eutelsat’s premium video neighbourhood for cable and satellite broadcasting.
The procurement of Hot Bird 10 underpins Eutelsat’s objectives to continue to renew capacity at its Hot Bird neighbourhood, to raise
in-orbit redundancy and security for broadcasting clients and to increase overall flexibility across its satellite fleet.
Eutelsat’s 13 degrees East neighbourhood broadcasts 950 television channels and 540 radio stations to 110 million cable and satellite homes across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 platform was selected by Eutelsat for the Hot Bird 8 satellite, which went into full commercial service this month, and Hot Bird 9 which was ordered from Astrium in May this year. With each satellite equipped with 64 high-power Ku-band transponders spanning the entire range of 102 Ku-band frequencies at 13 degrees East, they will together deliver customers security and in-orbit redundancy for the development of digital entertainment services and HDTV channels.
Hot Bird 10’s deployment in 2009 will also enable Eutelsat to pursue its objective to develop video activities at other orbital locations. The new satellite will release the group’s Hot Bird 7A satellite from 13 degrees East in order for it to be repositioned at the 10 degrees East neighbourhood. The proximity of these two neighbourhoods enables reception of channels from both positions with a single antenna equipped with a dual feed.
This new video mission will be initiated first by Eurobird 10 (formerly Hot Bird 3) which is scheduled to enter into service at 10 degrees East later this month, having completed its mission at 13 degrees East. Eurobird 10’s replacement by Hot Bird 7A will further increase capacity for video services in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa by providing up to 38 Ku-band transponders at 10 degrees East.
Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Berretta says, “By boosting our resource at established and growing video neighbourhoods we are in a privileged position to benefit from the strong dynamic of broadcasting markets in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Hot Bird 10 will further consolidate our premium Hot Bird position and will also expand the associated resource we can offer broadcasters from 10 degrees East for standard digital television, High-Definition Television and new video services using MPEG4 compression.
” We are also very pleased to renew our confidence with Astrium who has demonstrated the performance of its technology in our new Hot Bird 8 satellite.”
Astrium Satellites’ business unit CEO Antoine Bouvier said, “We are extremely pleased that Eutelsat confirms their confidence in our technology by ordering a third Eurostar E3000 to perfect the core of their prime broadcasting neighbourhood. Hot Bird 10 is a Eurostar E3000 satellite, identical to Hot Bird 8 and Hot Bird 9 with the same mission capacity. Hot Bird 10 is also the third satellite ordered by Eutelsat from Astrium this year, following W2M in February and Hot Bird 9 in May, and the seventh communications satellite contract overall won by Astrium in 2006.”
Hot Bird 10 is the 15th satellite commissioned by Eutelsat from Astrium. With the early implementation of this programme the group is advancing in-orbit investments to 2007- 2009 which were originally forecast after 2010.
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.
