News Broadcasting
Max kicks off Champions Trophy promotions with Gully Cricket
MUMBAI: Movies and events channel Max is back with its flagship on-ground activity Gully Cricket. Launching on 7 September, the initiative will kick off the channel’s promotional activities around the big ticket cricket property ICC Champions Trophy.
Max brand ambassadors Mandira Bedi, Sameer Khan and the mascot Tiger Deewana will visit the cities of Hyderabad, Nagpur, Kolkata, Mangalore, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore, Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Lucknow between September 7 and September 30, 2006 to take the cricket fever from the lofty stadiums to the dingy bylanes.
The fifth edition the Champions Trophy, which is being played in India for the first time, is scheduled for October 2006.
Commenting on the return of the promotional initiative, Max business head Albert Almeida said, “Cricket is not only for the select few rolling their arms and swinging their bats in the parks and fields. It is our national passion and there’s no greater fun than playing the game on the streets. And with our Max icons for company, I am sure Gully Cricket will make everyone go deewana all over again.”
Gully Cricket schedule
Nagpur 7 September
Kolkata 10 September
Mangalore 15 September
Visakhapatnam 17 September
Coimbatore 20 September
Amritsar 23 September
Ahmedabad 26 September
Hyderabad 28 September
Lucknow 30 September
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.
