News Broadcasting
ITF claims promising TV figures for Davis Cup
MUMBAI: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced that the eight first round ties of the 2004 Davis Cup competition attracted encouraging television numbers from around the world. The event took place from 7-9 February.
ITF’s television department was able to secure coverage of the competiton in 15 of the 16 World Group nations, and the selected ‘feature’ tie – Czech Republic v Spain – was distributed across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. In India, the Davis Cup action airs on DD Sports.
Spain’s pubcaster TVE registered around 1.5 million viewers during the fifth and deciding rubber between Radek Stepanek and Rafael Nadal in the Spain v Czech Republic tie, and averaged over one million viewers for the three days. Not surprisingly, the Aussies tuned in large numbers to watch their side take on Sweden in Adelaide. The event aired on Channel 7. The crucial doubles rubber on Saturday between Wayne Arthurs/Todd Woodbridge and Jonas Bjorkman/Joachim Johansson attracted a 64 per cent and 56 per cent market share in Melbourne and Sydney respectively.
Holland’s NOS gained a very healthy 59.7 per cent market share during its highlights transmission of the Netherlands vs Canada tie. An official release adds that viewership of this round of the competition was not solely restricted to World Group action, with the ITF also securing promising coverage for the Zonal groups. TVN in Chile welcomed a 30 per cent market share average during its coverage of the Peru v Chile Americas Zone Group I tie.
A Davis Cup highlights programme, produced by TWI for the first time, was also sold to 16 broadcasters. Sports programmes TransWorld Sport and Gillette World Sports Special included Davis Cup material in their programming.
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.
