News Broadcasting
Miditech wins two Rapa awards for ‘Deal…’ and ‘M.A.D’
MUMBAI: Miditech has won two awards in the 31st All India Radio & TV Advertising practitioners’ Association (Rapa) Awards 2005. The first one is for Sony’s Deal Ya No Deal, which won in the game show category in Hindi and the second for Pogo’s Music Art Dance (M.A.D) in the children’s serial category.
Deal Ya No Deal, which is in its third season is a show that tests a contestant’s ability to make the right choices and survive in a game of luck, risk and tension, given a choice of 22 cash boxes, which might have anything up to Rs 10 million. Rajeev Khandelwal now hosts the show, which was earlier being hosted by R Madhavan and then Mandira Bedi.
International versions of Deal Ya No Deal have enjoyed high viewership worldwide including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Mexico, the Middle East, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey and Thailand.
M.A.D. is a unique, refreshingly original and exciting series for pre-adolescent children. Each week, with the help of a couple of mini M.A.D. kids, our hosts, explore a theme through music, art and dance. Whether it be using familiar items to create innovative and engaging things, trying stunts like using their whole bodies as paintbrushes, creating musical acrobatics and rhythmic dancing or looking through the viewers gallery, we always take our audience with us, encouraging kids to re-evaluate the things they see and hear every day.
The Rapa is one of India’s oldest associations of media professionals. It came into existence over 31 years ago and has contributed significantly towards promoting audio visual works of excellence. Every year the awards function recognises and honours outstanding radio and television productions and the people who create them.
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.
