News Broadcasting
HDTV: Double digit growth expected over next 5 years
SINGAPORE: A recent study by US-based IMS Research estimates that by the end of 2010, nearly 87 million households worldwide would be capable of watching HDTV programming.
At a session on the Future of High Definition Television, it was pointed out that HDTV is becoming an important offering for cable and satellite TV providers. IMS research estimated that last year, about 20.6 million HDTV players were shipped worldwide. The double-digit growth expected in the market over the next five years will result in a forecast of nearly 60 million HDTV displays shipped by 2010.
Elaborating on the recent trends, Millette Burgos of Asia Pacific Broadcast said, “Depending on the country and the government, initiatives such as FCC‘s Digital Tuner mandate in the US and the HDTV broadcasting quotas in Australia and South Korea, are often the key drivers for the growth in HDTV sets.”
Countries like Australia and South Korea are proving to be the key drivers for the growth in HDTV sets as they have integrated tuning capacity. While growth in HD monitors will continue in a market where pay TV operators sell or rent the HD set-top box or HD DKR as part of the HDTV service package.
Often HDTV sets would not be enabled for pay-TV platforms, but are capable of receiving only free-to-air programmes. Of course, exceptions will exist in countries like US and S Korea where cable platforms are standardizing on Cablelabs Digital Cable ready standard.
“The good news is that many of the adoption impediments of HDTV are now being eliminated,” said IMS research market analyst Jack Mayo. “As HD content increases in availability, equipment costs drop and compression standards improve so we’re likely to see more operators implement HDTV.”
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.
