News Broadcasting
Rainbow Media in representation deal with Zonemedia for Voom HD
MUMBAI: On the heels of the luanch of the channel Vom HD launch at the recently concluded television trade eevnt in Mipcom, France Rainbow HD Holdings, a subsidiary of Rainbow Media has broadened the global channel’s reach with a new distribution agreement.
Rainbow has tapped Zonemedia to sell the channel throughout much of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
Voom HD offers the international marketplace a lineup of high-definition (HD) programmes selected from Voom HD Networks’ 15 thematic HD channels in the US. Its content includes signature programming from Equator HD ( places and people), Gallery HD ( stories from the art world), Gameplay HD (video gaming in HD), Rave HD, (live music in 5.1 surround sound), Rush HD (adventure sports), Treasure HD (people with a passion for collecting) and Ultra HD (fashion and luxury lifestyle).
Rainbow Media senior VP business development Glenn Oakley says, “As we strategized the best possible distribution for Voom HD, Zonemedia emerged as a particularly solid choice because of its strong track record in successfully delivering third-party channels throughout the world. Voom HD’s vast array of quality high-definition programming has great appeal to the international marketplace, and we believe Zonemedia will exploit this to the fullest.”
TVOOM HD is already set for a November 1 launch in Scandinavia through a deal made by distribution company NonStop Television with Canal Digital. Today’s news opens the channel for business throughout even more of the world, with carriage deals already in the works for possible announcement over the next few months.
In addition to its impending launch in Scandinavia, three Voom branded channels have been launched in Canada, operated by High Fidelity TV: Treasure HD, Equator HD and Rush HD. Korea’s SkyHD recently deployed a daily primetime Voom HD branded programming block this past September.
Since launching its global expansion initiative at Mipcom last year, Rainbow Media has also sold over 1,000 hours of programming from its Voom HD, WE tv, Mag Rack and sportskool brands to broadcasters around the world, including India, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, UK and Australia.
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.
