News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati to include non-DD channels and data transmission in DTT package
It’s looking beyond its own living room. The Prasar Bharati, the holding company of DD and AIR, is looking at having non-Doordarshan channels and also the facility to transmit data in its package of digital terrestrial transmission (DTT) which will be experimented as a pilot project in Bangalore later this year.
The five-channel DTT project has been successfully tested in other metros like Delhi and Mumbai with the formal service likely to be launched in the Capital in about a couple of months time.
“In Bangalore, where we will be experimenting the DTT project with a 10-channel package we may look at including non-DD channels too as part of the package,” DD director-general S.Y. Quraishi told indiantelevision.com yesterday.
Though Quraishi was quick to point out that the non-DD channels may not necessarily mean the direct competitors of DD (like Star, Zee and Sony), he admitted, “We may have some other channels as part of the Bangalore DTT project.”
He also added the Bangalore project will also test whether data can be transmitted over the DTT network as value-added services which have the potential of generating additional revenue for the Prasar Bharati.
At the moment, the Prasar Bharati is negotiating with companies like the Mahendra Nahata-promoted HFCL for manufacturing of set-top boxes which will be necessary to access DD’s digital transmission.
“Once when the set-top boxes are started to be manufactured in large numbers in the country, then their prices too will fall (to as low as Rs 1,200-1,500) which will enable viewers to go in for digital terrestrialial services,” the DG said.
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.
