News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati CEO is new IBF chairman
The Indian Broadcasting Foundation has a new chairman in KS Sarma, the new Prasar Bharati CEO.
Sarma’s appointment was decided at an IBF board meeting held in New Delhi yesterday. The meeting was reportedly attended by Zee TV CEO Sandeep Goyal, Star India head Peter Mukerjea, Discovery Networks India head Deepak Shourie, Turner Broadcasting’s Anshuman Mishra, UTV’s Ronnie Screwvala, Sahara TV’s Mahesh Prasad, Sabe TV vice chairman Markand Adhikari and Eenadu’s I Venkat.
Sarma replaces Anil Baijal, former Prasar Bharati acting CEO and additional secretary in the Information and Broadcasting ministry. Reports say the IBF board meeting also discussed other issues like the new unified television rating system being put into place with the impending merger of TAM and INTAM. Conditional Access System and the role of the IBF role in WTO negotiations were also discussed, say reports.
The long pending issue of payment defaults by ad agencies to broadcasters was also taken up at the meeting, reports say, with the IBF even considering a ban on defaulting agencies. The IBF is likely to meet with representatives of the AAAI in Mumbai to discuss the issue.
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.
