News Broadcasting
Exploring public-private partnership to prepare students for upcoming M&E technology fields: Anurag Thakur
Mumbai: Union minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur on Sunday announced that the Government of India is exploring partnerships with the private sector to ensure Indian students are in tune with upcoming technology trends in the media and entertainment sector.
The minister was delivering a key-note address at the international conference on ‘Changing Landscape of Media and Entertainment 2022’ organised by Symbiosis Skill & Professional University in Pune. The main topics of the conference were the emerging field of opportunities in animation, VFX, gaming and comics, opportunities in OTT, TV and film production, augmented reality/virtual reality immersive media skills etc.
He stated that “The radio, film and entertainment industry has a huge employment opportunity as we leapfrog into the digital era of quality content creation. Many job roles have emerged in the field – video editing, colour grading, visual effects (VFX), sound design, rotoscoping, 3D modelling etc. Each job role in this sector requires a specific set of skills and competencies. It is imperative for industry and academia to come together and design programs relevant to the needs of this sector.”
Thakur highlighted that the Indian media and entertainment ecosystem is a sunrise sector that is expected to generate rupees four lakh crore annually by 2025 and reach $100 billion or Rs 7.5 lakh crore industry by 2030.
He further added that the Government of India has designated audio-visual services as one of the 12 champion service sectors and announced key policy measures aimed at nurturing sustained growth.
The rapidly expanding digital infrastructure in the country and ongoing advancements taking place in the AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming and comics) sector have the potential to make India the preferred post-production hub of the media and entertainment industry, he observed.
To establish a solid digital foundation for the AVGC sector emerging across the country, the government has established a task force for the AVGC sector in order to develop world class creative talent to meet domestic and global demand.
Thakur said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s enthusiasm for technology has provided an oasis of opportunities and given wings to the ambition of youngsters. The PM’s ambition to empower the youth has been realised by the Skill India Mission that aims to train 40 crore youth in market relevant skills.
Thakur shared that the talents discovered during the ’75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ project undertaken during International Film Festival of India 2021, have been creative contributing to the media and entertainment sector and have established successful startups.
Keeping in mind the growing start-up ecosystem in India, Thakur said that during the Covid pandemic period India added as many as 50 unicorn start-ups, which speaks volumes about India’s entrepreneurial spirit. The minister said he hopes to see more and more start-ups emerging from the talent pool produced by leading film schools like Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) too.
The I&B minister noted that India’s content creation industry has undergone a massive uplift with ‘Digital India’. He said, “With quality content, easy access and an eager audience, India is ready to narrate its own success story and become a content creation hub”.
Adding further, he impressed the importance of recognising the efforts of technical people behind the scenes of India’s content industry who should be adequately recognised and rewarded, moving beyond the current focus on lead characters.
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.
