News Broadcasting
ICC Champions; AIR to broadcast ‘Live’ from 15 Oct., DD to show 9 matches
MUMBAI: All India Radio has acquired the radio broadcast rights from the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), who holds the international rights for the ICC events. AIR will broadcast Live commentary on all the main league matches of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy beginning Sunday, 15 October. The commentary will be broadcast in English and Hindi alternately.
65 medium wave stations of All India Radio spread across the country and all FM Gold Channels of AIR will relay the commentary from 2.20 pm on all match days. AIR FM Rainbow will carry hourly updates about the matches and a special interactive studio based programme will be broadcast during the innings break.
The ICC Champions Trophy on AIR is being marketed by the Prasar Bharati Marketing Division in Delhi. Several leading advertisers including Nokia, Hindustan Lever, Dabur, BSNL, Indian Oil have been roped in for sponsorship, informs an official release.
In addition, Doordarshan will also telecast nine key matches of the ICC Champions Trophy, which include all – India matches, the semi finals and the final on its national network DD National.
Doordarshan will also air a match analysis show ‘Fourth Umpire’ – before, during the lunch break and after the match. One hour highlights of the match will be shown the following day from 8 am to 9 am. The telecast of key matches on DD National will enable more than 45 million TV homes in India to tune into the ICC Champions Trophy.
Doordarshan has a revenue share arrangement with GCC for broadcasting the matches on its terrestrial channel. Nimbus Sports is marketing the event.
AIR will broadcast the following matches:
15 Oct – India vs England Jaipur
16 Oct – New Zealand vs South Afrcia Mumbai
17 Oct – Pakistan vs WI / SL Jaipur
18 Oct – Australia vs WI / SL Mumbai
20 Oct – New Zealand vs WI / SL Mumbai
21 Oct – Australia vs England Jaipur
24 Oct – South Africa vs WI / SL Ahmedabad
25 Oct – New Zealand vs Pakistan Mohali
26 Oct – India vs WI / SL Ahmedabad
27 Oct – Pakistan vs South Africa Mohali
28 Oct – England vs WI / SL Ahmedabad
29 Oct – Australia vs India Mohali
1 Nov – First Semifinal Mohali
2 Nov – Second Semifinal Jaipur
5 Nov – Final Mumbai
The broadcast schedule on DD National is as follows:
15 Oct – India vs England Jaipur
17 Oct – Pakistan vs WI / SL Jaipur
21 Oct – Australia vs England Jaipur
25 Oct – New Zealand vs Pakistan Mohali
26 Oct – India vs WI / SL Ahmedabad
29 Oct – Australia vs India Mohali
1 Nov – First Semifinal Mohali
2 Nov – Second Semifinal Jaipur
5 Nov – Final Mumbai
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.
