News Broadcasting
No offer before DD for cricket telecast: Sarma
NEW DELHI: People have chosen their bride and made the announcement too. But ironically, the prospective bride has yet to be informed of the marriage.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com this evening, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma expressed surprise that the Indian cricket board had has told a court that the Australia and the South Africa cricket series, to be played in India, would be telecast on Doordarshan.
“Well, theres no offer from anybody, including the cricket board,” Sarma categorically said, adding, “And neither is there an offer from Zee Telefilms or ESPN-Star Sports on sharing of the telecast feeds terrestrially with DD.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had said a few days back as part of a submission of a legal case involving the telecast rights, that DD would telecast the Australia and South Africa series on the domestic circuit, while for the international market, another agency would be located.
In the light of inconclusive arguments in the telecast case currently being heard by the Supreme Court, Prasar Bharati, which manages DD, also did not hold an organisational meeting today on the cricket issue.
According to Sarma, An empowered committee (comprising Sarma, director-general of DD and member-finance of the Prasar Bharati board) was not held today as “we are still awaiting a clear signal form the Supreme Court on the cricket issue.”
Both ESS and Zee Telefilms have said informally and formally on various occasions that if they get the Indian cricket rights, they would share it with the national terrestrial broadcaster “in the larger public interest”.
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.
