News Broadcasting
HTMT looking at acquisitions, appoints Thiagarajan as CEO, MD
MUMBAI: HTMT, at its annual general meeting (AGM), informed its shareholders that the company is actively looking out for acquisition opportunities in BPO space and the IT Services segment to increase its business, domain expertise, geographical presence and customer base.
The company’s shareholders also approved the appointment of K Thiagarajan as the company’s managing director and CEO with effect from 1 October 2004. Thiagarajan, who had earlier joined HTMT as COO on 16 June 2004, brings with him rich experience in the IT sector.
As a step towards adopting a global delivery model, HTMT had recently acquired majority control in Customer Contact Centre Inc (c3), a Philippines-Manila based call centre company. Commenting on the HTMT’s inorganic growth strategy, Thiagarajan said, “The key requirement of the Global delivery Model is to have multiple offshore delivery centers capable of providing Geographical diversity to the clients. With c3, HTMT has now 3 offshore delivery centers in two countries. We are now looking to consolidate our presence in onshore centers like New York, US.”
During the AGM, the company’s management made a presentation covering the milestones in the company’s evolution from a finance company to a leading ITES-BPO company, business trends in the IT/ITES-BPO, cable television distribution, media content and broadband Internet segments and the focus areas for the current year in each of these businesses.
The shareholders also approved a final dividend of Rs 2.50 per share (25 per cent) for FY 2003-04. This would make a total dividend of Rs 7.50 per share (75 per cent), including the interim dividend of Rs 5 per share (50 per cent) already paid earlier in the month of March 2004.
HTMT had reported a total income of Rs 1.62 billion for FY2003-04 compared to Rs 1.14 billion for FY2002-03, an increase of 42 per cent. The net profit grew by 22 per cent from Rs 620 million to Rs 760 million.
The consolidated revenues had increased by 32 per cent from Rs 2.17 billion to Rs 2.85 billion. The consolidated net profit for the year ended 31 March 2004 at Rs 840 million represents an increase of 45 per cent over the previous year’s net profit of Rs 580 million.
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.
