News Broadcasting
Orbital wins contract from Telkom for GEO communications satellite
VIRGINIA: Orbital Sciences Corporation has signed a contract with Indonesia’s state-owned telecommunications company, PT Telkom to manufacture a communications satellite.
The satellite, based on the company’s STAR-2 platform, will carry 24 C-band transponders and will be designed for a 15-year in-orbit life. The contract calls for a satellite delivery schedule that supports a planned launch in late 2004.
The new satellite for TELKOM will be launched into geosynchronous orbit, 22,300 miles above the Earth, at 118 degrees East longitude. The satellite will enable Telkom to replace its existing Palapa-B4 satellite with an expansion of its coverage area into Southern Asia and the Indian subcontinent in addition to its current Indonesian capacity. The satellite will be used for voice, video and data communications for the region.
The satellite will be based on Orbital’s STAR-2 platform, which provides up to 4.5 kilowatts of payload power and can carry as many as 40 transponders for C-, L-, S-, X-, Ka- and Ku-band applications. STAR-2 satellites range in launch mass from approximately 1,500 to 2,300 kilograms. Orbital also offers a slightly smaller GEO platform, the STAR-1, which provides up to 1.5 kilowatts of payload power and weighs approximately 1,000 to 1,500 kilograms at launch.
To date, Orbital has manufactured and launched four GEO satellites and has six other GEO spacecraft in various stages of design or production.
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.
