News Broadcasting
Murdoch’s Foxtel Digital to make Oz launch on 14 March
MUMBAI: Foxtel’s new digital service will officially launch on 14 March in Australia.
Without going in for a new TV, the new service’s subscribers will be able to get the necessary in-home receiving technology which will include a new digital set-top-unit and remote control as part of the service. Foxtel Digital will deliver cable and satellite subscribers enhanced viewing through a range of more than 130 channels, interactive services and expanded viewing options, all with DVD quality pictures and CD quality sound.
The package will cost $48.95, the same price as the existing satellite basic service, and will feature 66 channels including access to Sports Active on Fox Sports and Fox Footy Channels, Sky News Actives eight-screen interactive news service, the Foxtel Digital Guide and 30 audio channels.
The service package includes ten movie services (including Foxtel Box Office), 27 Foxtel Box Office channels, eight sports channels (including the Main Event channel featuring pay-perview boxing, wrestling and special events), five kids channels, seven news channels, six music video channels and 30 audio music channels, eleven documentary channels, eight lifestyle channels, 14 general entertainment channels, three adult services including pay-per-view channels, two foreign language channels with more to follow very soon, two games channels (with 10 separate and regularly changing games) and one Digital Help Channel and one Foxtel Box Office pre-view channel.
Also new to the service 30 digital-quality stereo audio channels that cater to all music tastes and signature channels such as Caf, Rock, Groove, Dance, Blues, Home Grown, Todays Country, Soul, New Wave and Easy. It will also feature ten TimeShift channels that have been selected based on their popularity with subscribers. TimeShifts broadcast a single service on two different channels with a two-hour time difference doubling subscribers viewing choices and providing further opportunities to view favourite programmes.
The key features of the new service include an electronic programme guide that allows subscribers to intuitively and easily navigate and plan viewing through Foxtel Digitals expanded range of choice, a 24-hour-day near-video-on-demand service screening a range of blockbuster movie titles each starting every 15-30 minutes, an interactive service allowing viewers to control and choose the news they want to view from eight live video and five live text screens, an interactive sports application which enables viewers to select multiple camera angles and match replays together with game statistics, player profiles and even different audio feeds on special selected sports broadcasts, Foxtel Gamesworld, offering subscribers two games channels and 10 different games with easy to play titles and games that test the mind.
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.
