News Broadcasting
Maya to make animated feature for BBC
MUMBAI: Indian animation company Maya Entertainment Ltd (MEL) has bagged the contract to make a BBC show titled Jack Frost, a 30 minute animated feature based on a UK bestseller childrens book. The $7, 50,000 project is a 3D animation programme is scheduled for a Christmas launch on BBC Worldwide this year.
According to MEL CEO Rajesh Turakhia, “The assignment came to MEL through UKs Jack Frost Productions who are associated with BBC Worldwide. While pre-production functions like the storyboard and modeling have been done in UK, we are involved in production activities related to animating the entire show, the background elements and compositing.
MEL is also creating 10 to 12 animated fillers for popular kids channels such as Nickelodeon to be shown between programmes, each budgeted at $25,000, says Turakhia. The company is also negotiating a 26-episode television series with a European outfit. “Budgeted at $ two million, work on this project is expected to take off around October-November this year. Deliveries would start getting rolled out from 2005, says Turakhia.
MEL is currently changing its infrastructure to accommodate an additional 150 animators from its current 65 while a division of its stake holder Intel will aid in the design, restructuring and update of the hardware and software to meet the expanding client base, he says.
Maya Entertainment has also secured orders from a US firm to create a special programme based on products of a leading toy manufacturer. This show sports a budget of $250,000. MEL has also clinched a $150,000 gaming animation project from the same studio.
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.
