News Broadcasting
FremantleMedia to laugh out loud at Mipcom 2006
MUMBAI: Fremantle International Distribution (FID), the distribution arm of global production outfit FremantleMedia will bring a comedy line-up for the television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France.
FremantleMedia Enterprises CEO David Ellender, says that a raft of new and favourite comedy titles will make the trip to Cannes for the trade event from 9-13 October 2006.
Fresh from its BBC2 debut, the newest addition to Fremantlemedia’s comedy family is That Mitchell & Webb Look. This is a sketch show featuring the comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb. As Mitchell and Webb bring their radio show to television, the new series is filled with riotous characters and ideas-driven sketches, lampooning the likes of the Nazis right through to Her Majesty the Queen. Intelligent, socially acute, sometimes satirical, sometimes bizarre, but always funny!
Best-selling author, child psychology expert and highly esteemed childcare guru – there isn’t a parenting problem for which Professor George Hartley hasn’t got a rational, reasoned answer. However, he’s never quite got round to the actual practical side of parenting. That is, until now. In the comedy, The Complete Guide To Parenting George finds himself thrown into the parenting deep end when his wife takes a job in Paris and he takes sole responsibility for their seven year old son, Jamie. Fortunately, George has people around him to help. Unfortunately, this assistance comes in the form of his inefficient, celebrity-obsessed P.A. and a foul-mouthed, Antipodean au-pair. Clearly this isn’t going to be child’s play!
From Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette’s Coquette Productions comes Daisy Does America. In the comedy series actress-comedian Daisy Donovan travels the country in pursuit of the American dream, soon discovering that the phrase means different things to different people. Fast-paced and irreverent, it’s a look at some of America’s most extreme characters and lifestyles, as seen through the eyes of a Brit, and highlights the quirks and oddities of the American way of life.
Along the way, Daisy pokes fun at herself and the characters she comes across in her unique, tongue-in-cheek style. As Daisy Does America, she strives to conform to the sometimes-bizarre characters and situations she encounters and the results are unpredictable and hilarious.
Man Stroke Woman is a sketch show that is silly and joyous in tone. The IT Crowd joins the fun with a comical look at the sub-species of I.T. gurus working in the basement of Reynholm Industries – a surreal, and very funny, look at the underclass of a company. Comedy Inc. tickles funny bones with its mix of sharp, fast-paced humour and irreverence, featuring sketch, TV and movie parody, non-existent cable shows, ads for products that don’t exist and characters that will become fixtures of popular culture for years to come.
Ellender says, “FID has an unrivalled heritage of taking comedy to the world and we are pleased to continue the tradition with this extensive collection of sketch, sitcom, parody and observational humour. As a key genre for us, we are constantly working to identify, invest in and nurture the best up-and-coming writers and performers, to ensure that audiences will be laughing with FID for many years to come.
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.
