News Broadcasting
Hinduja TMT to buy up 100% of CVIL
MUMBAI: As a first step towards consolidating the businesses of its media content companies, Hinduja TMT Ltd (HTMT) is acquiring 100 per cent equity control over its movie channel subsidiary Cable Video India Ltd (CVIL) by buying out the 49 per cent stake of private shareholders.
HTMT and ‘InNetwork Entertainment Ltd’ (InNetwork), its media holding subsidiary, jointly hold 51 per cent stake in CVIL. Asia Vision Entertainment Private Ltd (AVEPL) and its associates presently hold the balance 49 per cent. In the proposed move, InNetwork would acquire the 49 per cent of equity from AVEPL and its associates. HTMT and its subsidiary InNetwork will thus own CVIL’s entire equity, a company release says.
CVIL owns and operates CVO, a Hindi movie cable channel. CVO, which was launched in 1996, has a library of over 1,600 Hindi films and is today one of the most widely viewed cable channels in India with a coverage of over 6 million households in 104 centres across the country, the release says.
The release further says that CVIL proposes to start an interactive music channel and digitize its content in order to deliver value added services like pay per view, video on demand etc under Conditional Access System regime, which is in the process of being legislated by the Indian government.
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.
