News Broadcasting
Pixar could hatch alliance with Time Warner, Fox
MUMBAI: Hollywood’s major media conglomerates are hungrily eyeing Pixar after the animation studio declined to renew its deal with Disney. Two companies said to be in the lead at this stage are Time Warner and Rupert Murdoch’s Fox.
Pixar has to its credit hits such as Finding Nemo which has been nominated for an Oscar. A report in the Dow Jones newswire indicates that Time Warner and Fox Entertainment Group are likely to be the new partners based on their domestic and international film-distribution strengths
In a company release Pixar’s CEO Steve Jobs said that after 10 months of trying to strike a deal with Disney Pixar had decided to move on. In another release Disney’s CFO Tom Staggs said that its management couldn’t accept Pixar’s final offer because it would have cost Disney hundreds of million of dollars it already is entitled to under the existing agreement. Pixar basically wanted a bigger share in the profits.
Pixar has two more films left under its deal with Disney. The Incredibles will be released this year and Cars next year. Under the terms of the separation Disney will retain the rights to distribute the first seven films made under their deal. However anaylsts are of the view that should Pixar strike a distribution deal with Time Warner the media conglomerate might try to strike a deal with Disney to buy the two above mentioned movies.
In recent years Disney’s own movies made under its brand have thus far paled in comparison next to what Pixar has done. Its next film Chicken Little will be released in 2005. Meanwhile a Reuters report indicated that MGM is also inteersted in Pixar. The report stated that Jobs wants a deal similar to the favorable film distribution terms George Lucas has with Twentieth Century Fox for the Star Wars movies.
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.
