News Broadcasting
Matrix Partners India invests in Four Interactive
MUMBAI: Matrix Partners India (MPI) has invested in a mode startup Four Interactive.
MPI claims to be India’s first consumer services risk capital fund and focuses on early to growth stage businesses in the Internet, mobile, financial services, media and entertainment, food and beverage, hospitality, healthcare, travel and leisure sectors.
MPI co-founded by Avnish Bajaj and Rishi Navani with Matrix Partners US, strives to be the trusted partner providing risk capital to build market consumer services companies. With this investment, Rishi Navani has joined the Board of Directors of Four Interactive, informs an official release. Four interactive founded by Kiran Konduri and Shriram Adukoorie.
Navani said, “We are excited to partner with Kiran and Shriram, who bring a diverse set of experiences and complementary skills that form a strong foundation for the company.”
Konduri said, “In Matrix we found a partner with common values and beliefs. Our partnership is focused on building easy to use services that are at the intersection of mobile,content and the web.”
Adukoorie said, “Internet adoption is at the cusp of an inflection point in India. At Four Interactive we have set ourselves a simple goal of making the net more useful, relevant and inclusive for Indians.”
Kiran Konduri was previously at Microsoft and has founded two companies’ including Zephyr Software, which was acquired by Infospace. Shriram Adukoorie has been with Microsoft for the last decade and was previously country head for MSN India and South Asia. Most recently he managed Microsoft’s portal in the Asia region.
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.
