News Broadcasting
FremantleMedia’s Carter to give keynote at MipTV
MUMBAI: MipTV will kick off in Cannes on 3 April. Day one will see sessions on interactive TV, the future of branding and product integration in a changing world, strategies for digital media in the world of television. The keynote speech will be delivered by FremantleMedia chief creative officer new platforms Gary Carter.
In this age of increased democratisation of media, where consumers are getting their hands on both the tools of production and distribution, what does the “digital future” actually mean for content creators and active audiences? Carter, in his keynote address titled ‘Whose TV is it anyway?’ will provide a vision about creating collaborative creative relationships between the consumers and professional producers around content.
The Digital Media Strategies Workshop, organised with Interactive Rights Management will be held on 3 April and will highlight strategies for digital media in the television arena. The workshop will aim to demonstrate to broadcasters and producers how to embrace digital platforms and interactivity. It will also delve on areas such as the role interactivity and new digital platforms play in programme development, the kind programmes that lend themselves to interactivity and how can one take advantage of them for generating new revenue streams?
This will be followed by the Digital Distribution Showcase keynote by Microsoft senior director Erik Huggers, who will throw light on how digital media technologies can create new business opportunities for the media industry.
Post this, World Screen editor Anna Carugati is slated to moderate The Future of Branding and Product Integration in a Changing World. This has been organised with Reveille and the Branded Content Marketing Association. The speakers include ProSiebenSat 1 Media – Germany director corporate development Jan David Frouman, FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, Americas – USA executive vice president Olivier Gers, Cisco Systems – UK head of media partnerships Simon Jacobson, Two Degrees Ventures LLC. – USA principal Mitch Kanner, Freud Communications – UK vice chairman Kris Thykier and Ford Motor Company – USA senior advisor – global brand entertainment – Al Uzielli.
The panel will look at how advertising, product placement and branding must adapt to the world of DVRs.
Another session titled strategies for digital media in the world of television… or is it the other way around?, will have case studies and audience participation. The speakers include Interactive Rights Management Limited – UK creative and commercial director Valérie Bozzetto, Interactive Rights Management Limited – UK business development director Megan Goodwin-Patel and Interactive Rights Management Limited – UK managing director Bruce Vandenberg.
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.
