News Broadcasting
NOTA survey reveals that 2001-2002 not a bad year for TV
SAINT TROPEZ: The news for the television industry was all gloom and doom in 2001-2002, right? Wrong. There was a positive upside to the bad times as far as the business was concerned, according to data released by French audience measurement and survey company Mediametrie, Eurodata TV and IMCA .
The data is part of what is known as the New On The Air (NOTA) survey. The survey covers eight countries: the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, the US and Spain.
The year experienced an overall 35 per cent increase in the amount of new programmes (and an 8 per cent increase in the number of hours) compared with the previous year. In all, 1,117 new titles were launched between September 2001 and end May 2002, compared with 824 new programmes in the previous year, and 926 titles in the course of 1999-2000.
Six of these eight countries reflected the overall trend. The UK had 232 new titles (94 per cent over the previous year) on terrestrial television, Netherlands 190 new titles (a 59 per cent increase), France 185 new titles (a 73 per cent increase), Germany 150 new shows (22 per cent increase), Spain 66 new shows (60 per cent increase) and the US 67 new shows (6 per cent increase). Italian television launched 13 per cent fewer new titles to total 145 while Australia was in the red by 3.5 per cent with 82 new titles.
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.
