News Broadcasting
Phillippines network wins 2003 CASBAA/ABU Unicef Child Rights Award
HONG KONG: The GMA-7 Network of the Phillippines won the 2003 CASBAA/ABU Unicef Child Rights Award. This was presented a few days ago during a gala presentation at the annual Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) charity ball in Hong Kong.
The winning entry by GMA, Selda Inosente (Angels in Prison) was chosen from ten finalists shortlisted in the competition for the annual Child Rights award. The award is given in recognition of the best television programme devoted to an issue related to children’s Rights produced in the Asia- Pacific region. The award-winning programme examined the plight of children born and living in prisons in the Phillippines.
Competing for the award were 38 programmes submitted by 18 broadcasters from 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The other finalists in the competition included MTV’s Speak your Mind: Raveena Tandon in India , Star’s Children at Work: Shankuntala Santhiran and Disney’s Playhouse Disney: Elephants
Unicef spokesperson Emily Booker was quoted in an official release saying, “Through this annual competition, CASBAA, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and Unicef seek to encourage broadcasters to play a more active role in promoting and protecting the rights of children by providing them with a regular diet of quality television programming.”
CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies added, “Through this award, Unicef, CASBAA and the ABU are urging broadcasters to forward overall child development in their countries by producing documentaries. They detail the plight of children. They come in the form of dramas that help break down gender stereotypes and reduce discrimination, and animation that both teaches and entertains.”
News Broadcasting
Network18 posts Rs 1,955 crore revenue, narrows FY26 losses
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.
