News Broadcasting
Fox TV Studios becomes entertainment studio for HarperCollins
MUMBAI: Fox Television Studios (FtvS) will serve as the entertainment studio for HarperCollins Publishers, developing original content based on its existing library, as well as new HarperCollins titles – initially in the mystery and romance categories.
Content will be developed and distributed across multiple platforms worldwide, including television, DVD, and digital media including internet, mobile/wireless and emerging applications. The announcement was made by Fox Television Studios president Angela Shapiro-Mathes.
The first deal resulting from the partnership is for TV series development based on the popular legal suspense novels by international best-selling author Lisa Scottoline, which center around a group of female partners in the fictional, Rosato law firm.
Scottoline’s first novel in this nine-volume series of thrillers, Legal Tender, was published by HarperCollins in 1997. To date, she has written 13 novels. Scottoline presently has 10 million copies in print in the US and is published in 23 countries.
Additionally, Fox Television Studios has optioned The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble. Her novel chronicles a year in the life of a group of women who form a book club, only to see their own personal stories, trials and tribulations mirrored in the literary works they discuss.
“I’m thrilled to be working with HarperCollins in a venture that connects our two worlds in this way. This collaboration gives us unprecedented access to an untapped resource of talented writers – new voices for the TV and digital space. It also allows FtvS to pursue publishing opportunities for the original programming we develop and produce,” said Shapiro-Mathes.
To facilitate projects and serve as liaison between FtvS and HarperCollins, Fox TV Studios has retained veteran television producer Karen Glass to work out of HarperCollins’ New York City offices. An experienced executive producer, show-runner and development executive, Glass has developed numerous award-winning shows for broadcast, cable and syndication.
HarperCollins president and CEO Worldwide Jane Friedman said, “This is a unique partnership that offers endless possibilities. We will now have a professional eye to evaluate our incredible publishing lists – both new titles and our unparalleled backlist – to discover books that are worthy of dramatic portrayal. This is another example of HarperCollins’ continuing effort to create additional opportunities for our authors by introducing them to new audiences.”
Fox Television Studios executive vice president, scripted programming David Madden added, “We are delighted to be working with such a wonderful stable of talented authors. And it’s especially thrilling to get a chance to be in business with Lisa Scottoline. The admirers of her work are worldwide and extremely devoted, and we look forward to developing her ‘Rosato law firm’ novels for screens everywhere, from living rooms to mobile phones and anyplace where thriller fans can watch Lisa’s characters come to life.”
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.
