News Broadcasting
MarVista Ent strikes a deal with Brookwell McNamara Ent
MUMBAI: MarVista Entertainment, the global production and distribution company, has signed a groundbreaking three series co-production and worldwide distribution agreement with Brookwell McNamara Entertainment (BME), one of US’ leading liveaction kids programming companies.
The announcement was made by MarVista’s president – production and distribution Michael Jacobs and BME President David Brookwell on 24 March.
BME’s current credits include Hilary Duff’s Heart of Summer for New Line Cinema and the highly-rated series Even Stevens and That’s So Raven both airing on the Disney Channel.
Under the agreement, BME and MarVista will both serve as producers for these new series with MarVista handling the worldwide distribution. The first series, a teen drama to be announced shortly, is slated to begin production in summer 2004.
According to an official release, this deal reunites BME and Michael Jacobs who previously worked together and produced and distributed the films Treehouse, Hostage and Wild Grizzly.
“We are pleased to be working with Michael once again and are confident that this new venture with MarVista will lead to a long-term relationship where together we will produce and distribute top-rated programs for children and teens around the world,” stated Brookwell.
“This agreement ensures that we have sufficient output of children’s live-action series for the world markets from one of the most prolific children’s producers in the US,” commented Jacobs.
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.
