News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati sells MPEG-2 slot to 53 broadcasters
MUMBAI: Prasar Bharati has successfully sold Free Dish’s MPEG-2 slots for the period from 01.04.2020 to 31.03.2021 through 44th online e-auction process to 53 broadcasters. The second annual e-Auction of MPEG-2 slots (44th e-auction) of DD Free Dish Platform was completed on 28 Feb 2020.
Applications were received for e-auction under different Buckets/Genre. Subsequently, 53 channels were successfully allocated slots on various buckets on DD Free Dish slots. Subject to completion of all formalities, the channels which have successfully bid for slots will come on air on DD Free Dish Platform from 1 April 2020.
Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati says: “A key highlight of the e-auction was robust participation of channels across genres that saw several new channels making a debut enhancing the content diversity on DD Free Dish as a platform.”
He further opined: “The increased competitiveness in the e-auction process is reflected in the substantial increase in bids over base prices across genres. DD Free Dish has emerged as a key enabler of competitiveness in the broadcast sector with new upstart channels challenging incumbents. Most significantly the nearly 50% growth in potential annual revenue from DD FreeDish is a key leading indicator on likely economic turnaround during FY 2020-2021.”
Four slots were sold under bucket A+ with the reserve price of Rs 15 crore: Abzy Cool, Big Magic, Dangal, and Fun TV. The average slot price of the bucket was Rs 15.6 crore and the highest bid was Rs 15.16 crore. The A bucket was reserved for Rs 12 crore which was sold to 12 channels. The average bid price for the bucket was Rs 15.16 crore and highest bid price was Rs 15.2 crore. Under A bucket, ABZY Dhakad, ABZY Movies, B4U Kadak, B4U Movies, Blue, Cinema TV India, Enterr10, Maha Movie, Manoranjan TV, Movie Plus, Satya, and Surya Cinema reserved their place.
Bucket B included All Music (Hindi) Channels, Sports (Hindi) Channels, GEC (Bhojpuri), Movies (Bhojpuri) and Teleshopping (Hindi) channels for the reserved price of Rs 10 crore. The pubcaster sold this slot to 16 channels- BDM GEC (Bhojpuri), Bhojpuri Cinema Movie (Bhojpuri), Big Ganga GEC (Bhojpuri), B4U Bhojpuri Movie (Bhojpuri), B4U Music Music (Hindi), Dabang Movie (Bhojpuri), Filamchi Movie (Bhojpuri), Manoranjan Grand Movie (Bhojpuri), Mastii Music (Hindi), MTV Beats Music (Hindi), Showbox Music (Hindi), Surya Bhojpuri Movie (Bhojpuri), Zee Biskope Movie (Bhojpuri), Zing Music (Hindi), 9X Jalwa Music (Hindi), and 9XM Music (Hindi). The average slot price was Rs 11.55 crore and the highest bid price was 12.25 crore.
News & Current Affairs (Hindi) Channels, News & Current Affairs (English) and News & Current Affairs (Punjabi) Channels were included in Bucket C with the reserved price Rs 7 core. The pubcaster sold this slot to 13 channels: Aaj Tak, Aaj Tak Tez, ABP News, India News, India TV, NDTV, News Nation, News 24 Think First, News 18 India, Republic TV Bharat, TV9 Bharatvarsh, Zee Hindustan, and Zee News. The average price of Bucket C was Rs 10.85 crore and the highest bid was Rs 12.25 crore.
All other remaining genre (language) channels and teleshopping (regional) channels were included in Bucket D with a reserved price of Rs 6 crore. Prasar Bharati sold this slot to five channels: Fakt Marathi, Manoranjan Movies, Maha Punjabi, Shemaroo Marathibana, and Zee Punjabi. The average bid price of the bucket was Rs 6.17 crore and the highest bid price was Rs 6.25 crore.
The Bucket R1 consisted of spiritual channels including channels promoting yoga, Ayurveda, Health & Wellness (Ayush) based on traditional methods, reserved for Rs 3 crore. The pubcaster sold this slot to three channels: C7, Lord Budha, and Sadhana Bhakt. The average bid price for Bucket R1 was Rs 6.97 crore and the highest bid price was Rs 7.15 crore.
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.
