News Broadcasting
HTA, Chennai bags Ad Club, Madras Awards honours in close finish
India’s largest ad agency Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA) is in the limelight, down south. Not in Ozzland but it shone at the 25th South India Advertising Awards 2002 organised and hosted by the Advertising Club, Madras.
At the finishing line, the fight was close between HTA Chennai and HTA Bangalore for the coveted Agency of the Year trophy. The former romped home and additionally picked up as many as 14 additional awards. HTA Chennai senior vice-president & general manager Anita Gupta went up on stage to receive the Agency of the Year honour at the hands of chief guest ad veteran and former O&M India managing director Mani Iyer. 3Aof I president Ramesh Narayanan also graced the occasion. A panel of about 14 senior creative advertising professionals adjudged the awards under the chairmanship of K. S. ‘Chaks’ Chakravarthy.
HTA Chennai’s big wins were in various categories for work done for brands like Ford, LifeStyle International, Parry’s Coffy Bite, KTV Channel and Aquafina.
“HTA’s sound strategy, relevant planning and the ability to offer clutter-breaking creative solutions has resulted in high impact and success for its clients. It is extremely gratifying to receive recognition from our peers in the creative fraternity,” says Gupta.
In the Press Advertising category, HTA Chennai won awards for the corporate campaign of Ford India. In the Press Product campaign category, it won awards for Ford Ikon and LifeStyle International in the Colour and Black & White campaigns respectively.
In the single press colour category, HTA Chennai bagged three awards for Ford Ikon again. The agency also bagged three awards for Ford Mondeo – one each in the Direct Response Package, Multimedia Presentation and Multimedia Campaign categories.
HTA Chennai went on to win awards in Media Innovation and Outdoor Advertising for LifeStyle International.
In the Television Advertising category, HTA Chennai won awards for TV spots for Parry’s Coffy Bite, KTV Channel and Aquafina.
HTA Bangalore’s haul of 10 awards came from Spice Telecom and I-flex.
The cheering never stopped at the HTA camp as the ‘Art Director of the Year’ went to HTA Chennai’s Jaju Krishnankutty and the ‘Copywriter of the Year’ prize to HTA Bangalore’s Senthil Kumar.
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.
