News Broadcasting
Sahara, DD ad sales revenues for England series to gross Rs 2.9 billion
MUMBAI: It’s all about advertising sales. That is clearly the revenue story for England’s tour of India that kicks off 1 March.
This is amply borne out from the way the telecast rights for the India territory have been parcelled out by Nimbus Communications, the telecast rights holder to India cricket for the next four years.
The satellite rights are with Sahara One Television while Doordarshan is the terrestrial broadcaster. Both the channels are free-to-air so the only revenue stream will be advertising.
Advertisers will of course not be complaining with the arrangement that Nimbus chief Harish Thawani has managed since the two channels combined offer arguably the best possible “reach combo” available in the country today.
Calculations that Indiantelevision.com has made based on the card rates for the upcoming series indicate that gross revenues should be in the region of Rs 2.9 billion (Sahara Rs 1.65 billion, DD Rs 1.25 billion). This is the estimated gross that will be earned at the end of the 3 Tests and 7 ODIs that make up the current tour.
Media buyers that Indiantelevision.com spoke to indicate that Nimbus will be able to more or less hold these rates because they see them as “realistic” figures. Since Sahara has excellent connectivity in the Hindi speaking markets of 96 per cent (Tam data for HSM, average for Dec 05- Feb 06), and DD has an all-India spread, one thing that no advertiser will have worries over is connectivity.
THREE SPONSORS ALREADY SIGNED ON
Advertising bookings opened today and at the time of filing this report, three sponsors Reliance Infocomm, TVS and Coca Cola (all three are sponsoring on both networks) has signed on. Approximately 27 per cent of total available inventory has been being consumed by these three alone, a statement issued by nimbus says.
The statement further adds that three other sponsors, the deals for which are being finalised, are expected to take up a remaining 23 per cent. From the 40 per cent reserved for spot buys, approximately one half has been sold on the opening day.
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.
