News Broadcasting
First seminar on event measurement kicks off in Mumbai
MUMBAI: International surveys show that events are being increasingly used as highly effective brand building and selling tools. Only they need to be used in synergy and as part of the complete marketing mix. That was the key message that came through the Event Management
Development Institute (EMDI) Best Practices Seminar, which kicked off today at the Hyatt in Mumbai.
This first of its kind seminar which started off with a small quorum addresses an issue vital to most marketers today How to use events better and measuring the success of your events. The first day of this three 3 day summit focussed on Orientation and Overview of Exhibit Marketing.
The first speaker of the day, Markettech Inc founder Marc L G Goldberg, focused on the role of tradeshows and events in the marketing mix. He said that the trade shows and special events are integrated marketing communications tools which offer a face to face medium with the end consumer. Studies show that a large percentage of visitors to a trade show actually end up buying a particular product or service compared to when approached via a direct mailer or a sales call. An important point that he stressed on for smaller advertisers / companies was that “You cant outspend them, You have to out think them!”
The next speaker George P Johnson Event Marketing Ltd general manager Rasheed Sait gave a perspective on the Indian market. He said that clients did value events and used it as a strong support medium. However event companies out here lacked knowledge of the clients business and competition. That’s why they were perceived more as event managers and not marketing / event partners. The Indian IT, Automobiles and Fashion industries were sectors which had effectively used events to grow their brands.
Marketech Inc president Mim Goldberg is a world renknowned expert exhibit staff training. She gave a lot of valuable inputs on how to effectively communicate with the consumer at a
particular trade show / exhibit.
This was also followed by an interesting session on Designing – the most powerful tool. Many interesting samples and case studies were presented in the latter half of the day.
Overall, the seminar was a great learning experience and the next two days promise a lot more opportunity for learning. Thankfully, the international speakers had a great real world understanding of the international marketing and events business. The highlight of the day was the interactivity between the speakers and the audience and the summit went beyond just marketing jargon and actually was useful!
The summit is being organised by EMDI in association with CNBC as television partners and indiantelevision.com as online media partners.
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.
