News Broadcasting
Sarma calls for a ‘level-playing field’ in broadcasting sector
NEW DELHI: Terming the broadcasting scenario in India as “hazy”, Prasar Bharati Corp chief executive officer K S Sarma has called for a ‘level-playing field’ through a fair regulatory framework in the country.
The chairperson and keynote speaker in the “Broadcasting Technologies” session at the 12th Convergence India conference and exhibition, held here on Friday, Sarma said, “At the moment its free-for-all. We as public broadcaster find ourselves at wits end. Currently, broadcasting in India is mere profit-driven or commercial consideration. I am not passing any value judgment but this market seems to be the case of being of a democratic nation with no regulation.”
He further said, “The need of the hour is law. Yes, recently regulator has been appointed but it seems to be groping a lot even though telecom is a closely connected sector to broadcasting. There is a need for a very strong political will, manifested to support a public broadcaster.”
Sarma said there is a comparison with private broadcasters, which are “seemingly flourishing on paper”, but there seems to be ignorance about the fact programming and advertising codes in public broadcaster are completely different.
“The cable operators, which is again a professional for profit considerations, need improvement in skills. The main challenge is to make the cable operators more professional. I would say the cable operator is the king, rather than consumer. It should be the other way round, unfortunately that is not the case,” said Sarma.
While Sarma reiterated the limitation of public broadcaster on technological/market levels and left soon after his presentation, the other speakers spoke about technologies and trends.
Harmonic Inc’s president – Convergent Systems division, Yaron Simler shared his views on key enablers and drivers of change in the broadcasting cable fraternity.
“The key enablers are conversion from analog to digital video, ubiquitous content, head-end consolidation, IP transport and distribution, intelligent end device and bigger TV screens, where quality becomes more important and drives consumer demand. The drivers of change are sociological (Internet and cell phones), consumer experience such as video-on-demand, technology – satellite vs cable vs telcom companies, competition and global economy,” said Simler.
Simler said that the video technology blocks are digital video, conditional access and set-top box. “In case of digital video, it is MPEG-2 today, but it can be MPEG4 or VC-9 tomorrow,” he added.
Viaccess S. A. India sales manager M Stephane Pradinaud spoke about new video services such as VOD and digital/personal video recorders.
“The benefits of VOD to operators include churn reduction and average revenue per user rises, depending upon pricing strategy,” said Pradinaud.
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.
