News Broadcasting
ITF announces excellent ratings for Davis Cup
MUMBAI: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced that the recent Davis Cup for men by BNP Paribas and Federation Cup for women finals reached over 175 countries in all five continents through television.
Since sport is about national pride it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Spaniards tuned in large numbers to watch Spain defeat the US in the Davis Cup Final The event took place in Seville from 3-5 December. In India the tournament aired on Doordarshan.
The host broadcaster TVE dedicated over 45 hours with different programmes to cover the event. While over three million viewers followed the first two singles matches on the second channel La 2, the Bryan Brothers’ victory the following day in the doubles match was followed by more than three million viewers with market shares of 26.7 per cent on the first channel La Primera.
The deciding fourth rubber on Sunday between Carlos Moyá and Andy Roddick saw 3.1 million viewers flocking to La Primera. The channel thus notched up a 43.8 per cent market share. This is a significant increase from the 36.9 per cent share registered in the fourth match of the Davis Cup final four years ago when Spain won the event for the first time.
The ITF has added that in the always-competitive US market ESPN registered good figures despite the time difference and its delayed coverage of the Final. Among the 25 international broadcasters UK’s BskyB and Russian’s NTV Plus dedicated over 20 hours each while Australia, the 2003 champion, could watch over 30 hours thanks to Fox Sports.
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.
