News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati invites applications for 62 e-auctions of vacant MPEG-4 slots
Mumbai: The public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has invited applications for vacant MPEG-4 slots on the DD Free Dish DTH platform on a pro-rata basis for the period 24 August 2022 to 31 March 2023. The 62nd e-auction process will be tentatively held on 17 August and the last day to submit applications is 16 August.
“The bidding in the e-auction will be open to all genre (language)channels at a starting reserve price of Rs 1.01 crore,” said the public broadcaster in a notice on 8 August.
Only satellite channels licensed by the ministry of information and broadcasting ( MIB) will be allowed to participate in the e-auction. The companies holding valid permission from the MIB can apply for participation in e-auction for the allocation of the DD Free Dish slot. International public broadcasters licensed by MIB can also participate in the e-auction.
According to the circular, successful bidders will be required to make the payments in two monthly installments and as per the policy guidelines for the allotment of DD Free Dish slots. The channels participating in e-auction must pay a mandatory fee of Rs 25, 000 and a participation fee of Rs 10 lakh that should be paid via demand draft. Online training will be provided to all participants before the commencement of the actual e-auction.
The unsuccessful bidders will be refunded with a participation fee within three weeks after the declaration of the e-auction result.
DD Freedish is the free-to-air (FTA) direct to home (DTH) platform, which reaches more than 40 million households in the country. The reach of MPEG-4 is estimated between 2 to 3 million.
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.
