News Broadcasting
NFL games bring in high viewership in the US
MUMBAI: Football fans across the US tuned their televisions at impressive rates to National Football League (NFL) regular-season games.
NFL viewership on US broadcast television finished ahead of network primetime viewership by its widest margin ever. NFL games on ABC, CBS and Fox averaged 15.5 million viewers. This was 56 per cent higher than the average primetime viewership among the four major over-the-air networks. The average viewership on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC was 9.9 million.
NFL games account for four of the top 10 programmes on network television this season. In addition, NFL games account for the top five shows among men 18-49 and five of the top seven programmes among men 18-34. ESPN’s NFL games accounted for nine of the 10 most-watched basic cable programmes last year.
For a record 73 per cent of the time, NFL games were the top-ranked programme locally. In 2002, the figure stood at 69 per cent and in 2001, 55 per cent . Out of 508 local rating weeks this season, the number one spot for the week for all programmes in the individual markets went to an NFL game 370 times. That means that more than seven out of 10 times, the NFL game drew higher local ratings than Survivor, CSI or any other popular TV show.
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.
