News Broadcasting
FremantleMedia strengthens biz with promotions
MUMBAI: Format creator and owner FremantleMedia has announced a series of promotions in the UK as part of the continuing evolution of its international business.
Dan Allen has been promoted to Fremantlemedia Enterprises (FME) COO from his current role of Fremantle International Distribution (FID) COO. In this newly created role, Allen will be responsible for all operational departments including marketing, finance, legal, HR and material.
He will be based in London and will report to FME CEO David Ellender.
Bob McCourt, currently FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) VP, finance joins FME as director of finance. In this capacity, McCourt will be responsible for the division’s finance function including management and financial reporting, commercial support, strategic development and management of the FME finance team. McCourt, who has been with the company for eight years, will be based in London and will report to Dan Allen.
Lynne-Mei Lee has been appointed to FME head of publicity, from her current role as FremantleMedia PR manager. Lee, who will be based in London and will report to Ellender, will oversee publicity for the division worldwide, working closely with divisional and territory heads and with local and international press and marketing teams.
Dawn McComish moves up to FME HR head from her role as HR Manager, FremantleMedia. In this new position, McComish will manage the division’s human resources function covering all FME’s global operations. She will be based in London and will report to Dan Allen. McComish joined FremantleMedia in 2005; prior to this, she was head of Human Resources at a private aviation company, Netjets Management and Human Resources manager at the British Chambers of Commerce.
Ellender said, “This is an extremely exciting time for our international commercial team and these promotions are extremely well deserved. I am confident that, with the team’s great talent and wealth of experience, we will rapidly build upon FremantleMedia Enterprises’ existing reputation and strengthen our position even further as a leading player in the industry.”
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.
