News Broadcasting
First consignment of SitiCable STBs has landed
NEW DELHI: The multi-system operators are serious on implementation of conditional access system (CAS). The first consignment of set-top boxes (STBs) ordered by the Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms’ cable arm SitiCable has landed in India ready to be seeded in the market.
When contacted by indiantelevision.com today, SitiCable executive vice-president Rajiv Khattar confirmed the development and said, “The first lot of boxes have arrived in our warehouse in India from Korea after being airlifted.”
Khattar, however, did not divulge the size of the consignment that has arrived, saying it would alert competition. Zee Telefilms additional vice chairman Jawahar Goel had told indiantelevision.com some time back that over a period of six months from the date of CAS implementation, the company is looking at importing approximately 2 million boxes. STBs would be needed to access pay channels in a post-CAS regime as mandated by the Indian government.
In the four metros of Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai, where CAS is being sought to be implemented in the first phase from 14 July, the cable and satellite homes range between 6.2 to 6.5 million, with Mumbai having the highest number of C&S homes amongst the four cities.
With the first lot of boxes at its warehouse, SitiCable now is awaiting a green signal from the government on pricing. The boxes would also be tested by Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (Becil) for technical specifications before being put out in the market for consumers. Becil is a government of India undertaking.
According to Industry sources, 250,000 boxes have already arrived in Chennai while in Mumbai 211,000 have landed.
Company sources also indicated that Siti Cable, which is responsible for the headend in the sky project through which CAS is being sought to be implemented, is aggressively marketing the HITS project, called Galaxzee, amongst cable operators.
Under Galaxzee, partner-cable operators have been offered up to 40 per cent of the distribution margin. .
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.
