News Broadcasting
Kenya will fill SA shoes at Sharjah Cup
MUMBAI: The Sharjah Cup will take place at the original venue notwithstanding the Iraq Conflict. South Africa, one of the teams originally scheduled to participate in the triangular, has pulled out citing security concerns. Surprise World Cup semi finalist Kenya will replace them.
This year’s Cherry Blossom Sharjah Cup from 3-10 April takes place under the stadium’s lights. Pakistan’s new captain is Rashid Latif . They also have a new coach in Javed Miandad who must be hoping that the team finds some of the form it showed in 1999 when it finished runner up at the World Cup edition in England.
Readers will recall that at this month’s World Cup in South Africa, Kenya defeated two of the other teams who will participate at Sharjah, namely Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Pakistan is in a bit of a mess right now with Akram, Akhtar and company having been given the boot. Therefore, this is another golden opportunity for Steve Tikolo’s minnows to cement their position in international one day cricket.
Sri Lanka reached the semi finals of the World Cup and have retained captain Sanath Jayasuriya to lead their team and defend their trophy after last year’s victory over Pakistan.
Presented by former Indian star Sanjay Manjrekar, the commentary team will steer us through 10 hours a day of live coverage from the stadium.
The programme lineup is as follows
| Date | Match |
| 3 April | Pakistan vs Zimbabwe |
| 4 April | Pakistan vs Sri Lanka |
| 5 April | Zimbabwe vs Kenya |
| 6 April | Sri Lanka vs Kenya |
| 7 April | Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe |
| 8 April | Pakistan vs Kenya |
| 10 April | Final |
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.
