News Broadcasting
NGC looks to score touchdown with ‘Mission Mars’
MUMBAI: Last year, National Geographic Channel’s (NGC) Mission involved Mount Everest. The six month long initiative saw the channel make substantial gains in viewership and ad revenue. This year, the broadcaster is hoping that the Red Planet – Mars will be able to repeat the feat for the channel.
NGC will air the global 12 part special Mission Mars from 11 January every Sunday at 8 pm. The show has also been dubbed in Hindi.
Speaking on the initiative at a media conference in Mumbai this afternoon, NGC’s senior VP, content and communication, Dilshad Master said,” The Mission property will be an annual initiative. The property came about as we were looking for content that would cut through Indians across the board. We are looking at expanding the infotainment genre and Mission Mars will do just that. The Mission formula is topical, inspirational, broad based and showcases our unique access in terms of photography and footage.”
Mission Everest contributed 17 per cent to last year’s ad revenues, according to Master.
Master added that Mission Mars was the result of a four-year collaboration between the broadcaster and Nasa. Around $820 million was invested for Nasa’s Rover missions which are currently in progress. The first Rover Spirit landed successfully on Mars on 4 January. The second one, Opportunity, will land on 25 January. They will further explore the planet’s rocky landscape. The show will go behind the scenes and provide viewers with knowledge of how Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California operates.
Pictures of both the flights will be aired on the show as well the effort that went into making the two Rovers. The show also takes viewers through the excitement of the launch including a last minute hold, which happened due to a fuel system glitch. The show will also examine the nature of space exploration and what advances have been made.
NGC is running a media campaign covering print, radio, outdoors and online. A microsite has been created where visitors will find detailed information on the planet. A contest will be run from 9-23 January. Viewers have to name the two mobile laboratories that have reached Mars and play the contest online or via SMS. Hoardings have been placed at strategic locations in the metro cities exhorting people to watch out for the show. Sponsors lined up include Hutch, LG CDMA and Parle.
To create the important local connect, NGC says it searched the Internet for an Indian who was involved with Nasa’s Mars missions. Planetary Geologist Dr Amitabha Ghosh had studied Martian rocks in 1997 during the pathfinder mission. He was present at the briefing today. He said, ” An understanding into Nasa’s programme is important as the journey to Mars is fraught with failures.
“Out of the four Nasa Mars missions, two have failed. That is because landing is very difficult. There are several processes that have to work together in the space of the final six minutes. 17 scientists were involved with the mission.” For rock examination instruments that are being used include a rock abrasion tool which scrapes off the rocks weathered surface. A panoramic infrared camera is used to survey the landscape.
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.
