News Broadcasting
IAAF to hold world television seminar in March
MUMBAI: Less than five months before the start of the Olympic Games, Athens will host the International Association of Athlectics Federations (IAAF) World Television Seminar.
The two day forum for TV professionals to meet and exchange ideas of how to provide the best possible coverage of this Olympic sport on television takes place on 29 and 30 March.
IAAF president Lamine Diack was quoted in a company release saying, “It has been 10 years since the last IAAF World Television Seminar. It is vital for the sports future livelihood that we reconsider and redefine the manner in which it is broadcast. The competition with other sports for television spectators is becoming increasingly fierce. Athletics needs to provide programming that is exciting, cost efficient and also has marketing potential. In short, our sport should be attractive to the broadcasters.”
One of the seminar’s goals will be to introduce up-to-date, dynamic television coverage of athletics to a new generation of TV producers so as to improve the status of the sport among the viewers. It will also look for ways in which harmony can be brought about in the coverage of track and field athletics worldwide. It will also find out new means to better inform the spectators in the stadium without harming the television product.
The seminar is being organised by the IAAF television commission, chaired by IOC member Alex Gilady. The delegates will include television producers and directors including representatives from Athens Olympic Broadcasting (AOB), IAAF’s marketing partner Dentsu as well as timing and data companies involved in the organisation of athletics competitions.
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.
