News Broadcasting
Reality TV to debut on Pakistan’s Cross Current platform
MUMBAI: Zone Vision has inked an exclusive five-year carriage agreement with Cross Current in Pakistan to broadcast the company’s flagship Reality TV channel. Amongst the special line up for the debutante channel is a hit series- Matchmaker.
The channel will reach approximately 1.5 million cable and DTH subscribers throughout the region.
A 24-hour channel delivering a non-stop insight into people’s lives without actors, special effects or rehearsed material, Reality TV tells the stories of real people in real situations and shows events as they actually happened, says an official press release.
According to the release, Cross Current went ahead to sign the deal following channel’s impressive reach within a few months of the launch of Reality TV in India. The channel has crossed a viewership of 15 million households across the country in a short span of 13 months, claims the release.
Distributed in India by Zee Turner, the channel is available worldwide to over 120 million subscribers in 16 languages.
Announcing the launch, Zone Vision senior vice president, group sales and marketing Mark David said; “This is a significant deal for Zone Vision because very few foreign cable channels have secured penetration in Pakistan as the territory has remained one of the few relatively closed markets to broadcasters. Cross Current has both the professionalism and the backing to put Reality TV on the map in this region, providing us with a significant inroad to Pakistan’s huge television audience.”
Besides, the global producer and distributor of thematic channels, Zone Vision has concluded an exclusive program licensing agreement with Canada’s Tricon films and television, an independent entertainment production and distribution company, to acquire the international cable and satellite rights to the hit reality dating series Matchmaker.
A part of channels prime-time agenda, Matchmaker is scheduled to premiere on 3 May 2004 in the UK, the series will rollout in January 2005 on Reality TV in the US, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
Says Reality TV vice president, programming Steve Cole: “Matchmaker is an exciting acquisition for our expanding global network of channels. With this we have widened our range of programming content. We’re confident that Reality TV viewers will enjoy Matchmaker’s excellent production values and mischievous sense of humour.”
First produced in 2001 and currently in production on season five, Matchmaker became one of the highest-rated programs on Canada’s Life Network. Produced by Tricon, the series has established itself within the 18 – 34 demographic with an equal number of men and women viewers, says the release.
The series features a matchmaker in each episode, who arranges a date for a loveless friend. The entire experience is captured via closed circuit television. Hosted by Andrew Anthony, the series has the producers scour the city for that special someone.
On the matchmakers request, the producers also help the contestant with a complete make-over prior to their date. Be it makeup artists, wardrobe consultants, or psychics, everything is taken care of.
Looks like reality is taking roots in Indian subcontinent.
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.
