News Broadcasting
President Kalam blesses Premier Hockey League; meets captains
New Delhi, November 29, 2005 – The honorable president of India, his excellency Dr A P J Abdul Kalam today met the five captains of the Premier Hockey League Tier I teams to convey his best wishes before the start of the second edition of the innovative Premier Hockey League. The five captains Dilip Tirkey (Hyderabad Sultans), Gagan Ajit Singh (Sher-e-Jallandhar), Viren Rasquinha (Maratha Warriors), Arjun Halappa (Bangalore Hi-Fliers) and Rajpal Singh (Chandigarh Dynamos) called on the President to seek his blessings for the future of the League and his support for the sport. K P S Gill, President, Indian Hockey Federation; K Jothikumaran, Secretary General of the Indian Hockey Federation; R C Venkateish, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd; and S S Dasgupta, Managing Director, Leisure Sports Management, also met His Excellency along with the five captains
Giving words of encouragement to the five Premier Hockey League Captains, the President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, said, “You must always think that you are winning when you are practicing. This habit along with hard work and God’s blessings will help you in winning. You should become Captain of the problem and defeat the problem itself.”
The President further added, “Like any other economic activity sports & games are also important.” A staunch advocate of developing the youthful human resources of the country, the President had said in his address at the opening of the 14th Parliament: “The youth constitute a large and vibrant segment of India’s population. Their energy, zeal and motivation will be harnessed through special programmes to enable them to realize their potential and achieve their ambitions in all activities, ranging from economic and social spheres to the arts and sports. We extend the very best wishes to our sportspersons participating in all forthcoming events.”
Speaking on the occasion, K P S Gill said, “I am extremely grateful to the President for giving his valuable time to inspire the five captains of the Premier Hockey League. I am sure that the encouraging words from the President will inspire all the teams to give their best during the league.”
ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd. Managing Director R C Venkateish said, “The league has an interesting format which is aimed at getting the people back to watch India’s national sport.”
The visibly happy captains presented a ‘PHL Hockey Stick’ to the President. Speaking on behalf of all the players and captains, Dilip Tirkey, Captain of the Indian Hockey Team and Captain of Hyderabad Sultans, said, “PHL could not have asked for a better boost. The Championship, only in its second avatar, is already recognized as the most innovative one in the world. His Excellency’s gesture will inspire us to scale further heights.”
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.
