News Broadcasting
MTV, Nick join One Alliance platform
MUMBAI: MTV Networks India today announced a tie-up with The One Alliance for distributing MTV, India’s leading music and youth channel and Nickelodeon, the children’s channel. Each channel, already encrypted, would be made available for a price of Rs 3 to subscribers.
The agreement was signed today by MTV Networks India MD Alex Kuruvilla; Set India CEO Kunal Dasgupta and Discovery Communications India MD Deepak Shourie. The deal ends almost a year of speculation on an alliance between the two. There has been talk in the industry for several months about which platform MTV may choose to associate with and a music channel and a kids’ channel that One Alliance would try to bring into its kitty.
“This strategic alliance further strengthens The One Alliance’s position as the leading bouquet,” said Dasgupta.
According to MTV Networks India Vice President-Network Development, South Asia Sanjev Hiremath, the talks with the One Alliance were in progress for a long time, but the environment to clinch the deal became favourable only now.
The addition of MTV and Nickelodeon complements the diverse mix of programming choices offered by The One Alliance bouquet, which currently comprises eight channels – Set, Max, AXN, HBO, Discovery, Animal Planet, NDTV India and NDTV 24×7.
The One Alliance president Shantonu Aditya says,”We are very proud to be associated with the best of channels. With the addition of MTV and Nick, the bouquet is now complete.”
“The One Alliance has proved to be the best distribution platform in the country and we believe that the reach of MTV and Nickelodeon will increase tremendously after joining the Alliance. MTV Networks India is proud to announce this partnership with The One Alliance,” said Kuruvilla.
“The music and children’s programming will strengthen the offerings of The One Alliance”, said Shourie.
Last year, The One Alliance added movie channel HBO and the Prannoy Roy promoted news channels – NDTV India and NDTV 24×7 to its bouquet.
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.
