News Broadcasting
ITV claims 70 million viewers for Rugby World Cup
LONDON: UK broadcaster ITV has stated that over 70 million viewers have so far watched its coverage of the Rugby World Cup from Australia. In India the event is airing on ESPN Star Sports. .
ITV is showing all 48 matches live. The upcoming weekend sees the start of the knockout phase. On 8 November New Zealand will play South Africa. This will air on ITV2, followed by Australia versus Scotland on ITV1.
An ITV spokesman was quoted in an official release saying, “The figures reflect the growing appetite that viewers in the UK have for the Rugby World Cup and have surpassed our expectations for the group stages. We have been treated to some exciting matches over the last couple of weekends. Now the knockout stages are upon us were looking forward to more excellent audiences, especially with all four home unions live on ITV1.”.
England’s three group matches on ITV1 have provided the largest audiences. The match against South Africa receiving the biggest figure with a peak of 6.1m and an average of 5.3 million the highest for a rugby match on TV this year. The game against Samoa peaked at 5.6 million and averaged 4.95 million. The Brits opening game against Georgia saw a peak of 5.3 million viewers and an average of 4.5 million
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.
