News Broadcasting
LCDs, cameras allow Sony to post a better than expected quarterly result
MUMBAI: Japanese consumer electronics conglomerate Sony has reported better than expected results for the first-quarter ended 30 June 2006.
Net income was ¥32.3 billion with a loss of ¥7.3 billion a year earlier. Media reports indicate that analysts had expected the company to report lower income. Sony got a boost from sales of its Bravia brand LCD televisions and Cybershot digital cameras.
For the full year to next March, Sony revised up its operating profit forecast by 30 per cent to 130 billion yen as it started booking patent-related income as recurring revenue rather than miscellaneous income. It kept unchanged its net profit forecast of 130 billion yen.
Sales rose 11 per cent to ¥1.74 trillion from a year earlier. Operating profit, or sales minus the cost of goods sold and administrative expenses, was ¥27 billion for the period, compared with a restated ¥6.6 billion loss a year earlier.
Profit from the electronics division, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of the company’s sales, was ¥47.4 billion, from a loss of ¥26.7 billion a year earlier. Sales of electronics including Bravia TVs, Cyber-shot cameras and Vaio personal computers increased by 14 per cent to ¥1.28 trillion.
Sales of its TVs rose by 75 per cent to ¥262 billion. Sony joins rivals Sharp and Matsushita Electric Industrial in reporting higher profit because of TV sales.
It looks like Sony CEO Howard Stringer’s cost cutting measures are starting to pay dividends. In September Stringer had outlined a plan to axe 10,000 jobs and shut down 11 factories. Stringer also stopped paying 44 retired executives, sold two corporate jets and some retail businesses, including a cosmetics maker and a restaurant chain.
On the film front Sony benfited from The Da Vinci Code. This helped the company increase sales by 42 per cent in the quarter. However, higher marketing costs meant that the film division suffered an overall loss.
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.
