News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati and NMA Egypt join hands for TV and radio programmes
Mumbai: India and Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Wednesday to facilitate content exchange, capacity building, and co-productions between Prasar Bharati and the National Media Authority of Egypt. The MoU was signed by the minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur and Egypt’s foreign affairs minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry. The MoUs were exchanged between the two countries in the presence of the prime minister of India and the president of Egypt following the delegation-level talks between the two sides at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
The MoU is part of the efforts by Prasar Bharati to expand the reach of the DD India channel to showcase the country’s progress through programmes focused on the economy, technology, social development and also the country’s rich cultural heritage. Under the ambit of this MoU, both the broadcasters will exchange their programmes of different genres, like sports, news, culture, entertainment, and many more, on a bilateral basis, and these programmes will be telecast on their radio and television platforms. The MoU, which will be valid for three years, will also facilitate co-productions and training of the officials of both broadcasters in the latest technologies.
Prasar Bharati, the public service broadcaster of India currently has 39 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with foreign broadcasters for cooperation and collaboration in the field of broadcasting. These MoUs provide for exchange of programmes with foreign broadcasters in the field of culture, education, science, entertainment, sports, news etc. The MoUs also provide for co-production opportunities related to themes of mutual interest and knowledge sharing through training.
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.
