News Broadcasting
Govt to heed KPMG suggestions on entertainment sector
NEW DELHI: The Indian government will consider the suggestions made in the FICCI-KPMG report titled “The Indian entertainment sector – in the spotlight” while formulating policies.
Replying to a question by Dr M V V S Murthi and others in India’s Lower House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) today, minister of information & broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad said that many of the suggestions are focussed on the industry for action.
The minister said the report suggests that the film industry needs to transcend from being a simple unorganized, creative pursuit to an organized business that encourages and nurtures creativity and makes commercial sense. The strengthening of the cable and satellite dominance and increasing focus on subscription revenues together with the Conditional Access System (CAS) hold promise for the future growth of the Indian television industry.
To sustain healthy growth, the report recommends that the music industry in India, which is still at a nascent stage, needs to revamp the way it operates, with support from the key players and also evolve new revenue streams to hedge risks. The corporatisation in the film industry is expected to have a catalytic effect on the music industry, which would move increasingly towards a revenue sharing model, the minister said.
IMPROVEMENT OF DD PROGRAMMES
Doordarshan has taken a number of steps for improving the production of in-house programmes, the minister said in reply to a question by Bhartruhari Mahtab.
The steps included setting up of a Creative Advisory Committee with eminent media personalities for quality-improvement/production presentation/packaging of programmes, setting up of a Development Communication Division dedicated to the production/telecast of social communication messages in a professional manner.
Prasad said that campaigns by Development Communication Division have resulted in quality/quantity improvement of in-house production, using Doordarshan’s creative talents and infrastructure.
The minister further said that nearly 43 per cent of the total transmission of programmes from various channels/State networks/production centres of Doordarshan is produced in-house. The minister informed that there are 59 studio centres of DD in the country besides OB vans, DGNGs/ENG units for production of programmes outside the studios.
DD is telecasting programmes, which contain a mixture of information, education and entertainment according to the mandate in the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990.
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.
