News Broadcasting
SET Asia crowns 2002 UK sporting heroes
LONDON: Kam Aujla from Derby has been crowned Sony Entertainment Television (SET) Sports Personality of the Year for Tae Kwon Do, at a function held recently at the London Hilton, Park Lane.
The awards, now in their second year, were conceived to reward British Asians who have excelled in sport and are recognised at local and national levels for their contribution as exceptional athletes. The channel says the awards aspire to encourage more Asians to participate in sports, both at national and international levels.
Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar was awarded the MGT International Sports Personality of the Year Award. Bend It Like Beckham star Ameet Chana played host for the evening, while guests included MAX brand ambassador Kapil Dev as well as cricketers Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan.
Amongst the prizes auctioned and raffled were tickets to the Cricket World Cup next year in South Africa, holidays abroad and signed cricket bats. The awards programme will be shown later this month on SET Asia, according to a release issued by the channel.
The other awardees included
Brent Council Festival of Lights Junior (under 18 Junior) Sports Personality of the Year Male – Gavin Heeroo from London for football
Madhus Brilliant Junior (Under 18) Sports Personality of the Year – Female – Aarti Thobhani from Leicester for Tae Kwon Do.
NHS Asian Tobacco Helpline Coach Of The Year – Tom John from Surrey for Badminton
Rural Press Outstanding Achievement Award – Abdul Ahmed from London for football
Sunrise Radio Up and coming Sports Personality of the Year – Tushar Patel from London for Wheelchair Racing
SET Asia 5-a-side Cup Winners Canaries from Preston.
SET Asia claims to be the first South Asian entertainment channel to launch on the UK digital satellite platform on 22 August 1999.
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.
