News Broadcasting
iTV Network launches water sustainability project to celebrate World Water Day
MUMBAI: With 22 March marking World Water Day, iTV Network and Atom Technologies in partnership with AquaKraft Projects Pvt Ltd have initiated a special programme for administering water ATMs and public utility services.
The programme will cover the length and breadth of the country including D, E, and F category railway stations under the CSR programme facilitated by IRCTC and CMAI Association of India. Forty one water ATMs and ten state of the art public utility toilets will be initially inaugurated in the key areas of North Eastern railway district. Similar types of utility stations have already been implemented in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan and are currently being implemented in Baramati (Maharashtra) by Aquakraft.
A water ATM works like how an ATM works. A user swipes a prepaid card, following which the water dispenser’s screen flashes the chosen amount for which the user wishes to collect water and deducts the amount from the water ATM prepaid card. Public utility toilets that are connected to the network can also be used with the card.
The major issue in India on water consumption is clean drinking water, health, hygiene and sanitation. To cope with these issues, government has undertaken several initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Clean Ganga Project to create an enabling environment for innovation and sustainability.
iTV Network founder and promoter Kartikeya Sharma said, “iTV Network has always been at the forefront of using media as a platform for change. Availability of clean drinking water is one of the key challenges today and we at iTVnetwork are happy to work closely with Aqua Kraft to create a revolution in the distribution of clean and safe drinking water.”
Aquakraft chairman and CEO Subramany Kusnur said, “Water management is an important requirement for ecologically sustainable development. Efficient consumption of water is a major issue in today’s society, thus our project has been set up to create products that can help preserve one of our key natural resources and at the same time fulfil the requirements of clean and healthy water to the nation.”
Atom technologies CEO Dewang Neralla added, “We are extremely elated to work with Aquakraft for powering their AquATMs with our prepaid cards. We strongly believe this will benefit the clusters of villages and communities around the stations and will not only provide safe drinking water but also help foster greater financial inclusion through enablement of payments for water as well as other services using the prepaid cards.”
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.
