News Broadcasting
Isro on a high as Insat-3C put in successful orbit
India took another step towards bolstering its power in satellite technology today with the successful launch of the indigenously built Insat-3C from Kourou in French Guiana early today morning.
Fight 147, carrying the Indian Space Research Organistion’s (Isro) 2750 kg Insat-3C, lifted off at 05:17 am (IST). After a last-moment hold-up, the Ariane 4 lifted off from the ELA-2 launch complex and released the 2,750-kg multi-mission spacecraft 22 minutes later. The success was the world’s first commercial flight of the new year.
Insat-3C will provide vital telecommunications services for the Indian subcontinent, operating with a multi-mission payload of 30 C-band transponders, 2 S-band transponders and a transponder dedicated to mobile communications.
The satellite has been placed in its intended Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit, in a 3-axis stabilised mode, with a perigee of 570 km and an apogee of 35,920 km and an inclination of 4 deg. with respect to the equator. The satellite is at present going round the earth with an orbital period of about 10.5 hours. The satellite will finally be positioned at 74 east longitude.
The Insat Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka, which is tracking, monitoring and controlling Insat 3C, acquired the telemetry signal from Insat-3C at 5:47 am IST. The initial health checks on the satellite indicate that the performance of the satellite is normal, according to the agency. First operations on the satellite were carried out by issuing commands from the MCF. The outermost panel of the stowed solar array on the south side of the satellite was oriented towards the sun to start generating the electrical power required by the satellite during its transfer orbit phase. Subsequently, the earth viewing face was oriented towards earth and calibration of the gyros on board the satellite has been carried out.
During the initial phase of the operation, MCF will utilise Inmarsat Organisation’s ground stations at Beijing (China), Fucino (Italy) and Lake Cowichan (Canada). The satellite’s orbit is being precisely determined by continuous ranging from the participating Telemetry Tracking and Command (TTC) stations, the agency says.
In the coming days, orbit raising operations on Insat-3C will be carried out by firing the 440 Newton liquid apogee motor on board in stages till the satellite attains its final geo-stationary orbit, about 36,000 km above the equator. The satellite has about 1.5 tonne of propellant (Mono-Methyl Hydrazine – MMH and Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen – MON-3) for orbit raising operations as well as for station keeping and in-orbit attitude control. The on orbit fuel availability will enable maintaining the satellite for operational services for a period of 12 years.
When the satellite reaches near geo-stationary orbit, deployment of the two solar panels and the two antennas will be carried out and the satellite put in its final 3-axis stabilised mode. The payloads will be subsequently checked out before the commissioning of the satellite.
Insat-3C, carrying Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) transponders, Broadcast Satellite Services (BSS) transponders and Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) transponders is intended to continue the services of Insat-2DT and Insat-2C which are nearing their end of life besides improving and augmenting the Insat system capacity.
Insat-3C is the second satellite of the Insat-3 series; the first satellite, Insat-3B was launched in March 2000. Another three satellites Insat-3A, Insat-3D and Insat-3E will be launched in the coming years, Isro says.
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.
