News Broadcasting
Making hay out of emerging opportunities
MUMBAI: CNBC’s “The Entertainment Industry: Taking The Big Leap” brainstorming session held on 19 December in Mumbai, offered some insights into the new emerging avenues in the entertainment sector. Here, we present some views of the participants.
UTV chairman Ronnie Screvwalla mentioned that there was a surge in creativity in new avenues such as animation projects. He expected the industry to kickstart some kind of a BPO (business process outsourcing) or ITES (IT enabled services) trend.
Nimbus boss Harish Thawani added that the animation industry had great prospects despite the fact that it was not home grown.
KPMG’s Jain stated that the home video market segment in India was at an ascendancy and growing at 20 percent. It was well behind the US growth rate of anything between 40-60 percent. He said that the VCDs costing Rs 99-199 were becoming very popular due to the value that accrues from recurring viewing.
KPMG’s Jain added that the ‘live entertainment’ segment was 3-4 percent of the total pie in the US markets but at a very nascent stage in India.
Milestone Interactive Software Ltd (MISL) chairman and CEO Jayant Sharma claimed that a huge opportunity existed in the area of computer entertainment software and interactive computer video games for Indian homes.
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.
