News Broadcasting
News Corp won’t part its stake in UTV
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which holds a 37 per cent stake in the Ronnie Screwvala promoted United Television (UTV) is negotiating with Screwvala to retain a stake in his company.
News Corp had a 49 per cent stake in UTV prior of selling a 12 per cent stake off to Warburg Pincus which already held 24 per cent of holding in the company. The deal reduced Murdoch’s stake to 37 per cent and he last year, had announced to sell it off to Mr Screwvala. Now Murdoch is in talks with Screwvala to retain 15 per cent stake in UTV. UTV will be listing on Indian brouses by May-June this year.
After his increased interest in India, Murdoch seems not willing to give up his stake in the huge media house UTV. News Corp is already getting ready to capture a market share in India in the era of convergence by plans to acquire Internet companies, ISPs and telecom companies as well as creating portals. Already having a chunk of the television market through its subsidiaty Star TV, News Corp wants to get deep in the convergence market. Since content would be an important issue in the forthcoming world of broadband, Murdoch won’t like to give up his whole stake in the company which is rich in content and which could add value to his holding.
Incidently, Murdoch would visit Mumbai this weekend where UTV is based. But the exact purpose of his visit is still unknown and this could be a part of his agenda.
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.
