News Broadcasting
Setindia.com all set to revive broadband initiative
With a view to connecting further with viewers and strengthening its online community of users, Sony Entertainment is in the process of revamping www.setindia.com.
Senior V-P IT and new media Sony Entertainment Television Anil Garg said that to give the site an increased feeling of interactivity, the broadband section, which has been in a state of slumber for quite a while, would be revived before the end of the month. Due to the attention being given to the look of setindia this part had thus far been overlooked, Garg said.
Through virtual reality, viewers will be able to move around the set to get a feel of a particular show. The archive section lets people see clips of famous people who have appeared on a show on Sony. This section was discontinued after the talk show Movers and Shakers stopped airing on Sony last year, Garg said.
One can also expect to see more games relating to serials appear on the site. However, watching programmes online, whether it is a cricket match or a serial is unlikely. Garg said there was the issue of transfer of rights to be considered in these matters. Referring to the serials, Garg pointed out that bandwidth requirement is too high. In India, where the flow of content is not smooth, streaming media will just not work, Garg said.
The most recent online initiative that setindia.com undertook involved an online chat with Kutumb star Pradhan organised on Monday afternoon that drew 1,760 fans. Asked whether any other stars had been lined up for the immediate future, garg replied in the negative. However, he said that once the ICC cricket licled off on the channel, one could expect to chat with cricket stars like Kapil Dev (SET’s brand ambassador for the next three year’s for all cricket-related activity).
Queried as to the size of the online community the site services, Garg said currently there are a half a million Setizens. One of the main reasons for the ongoing revamp was that the site was lagging behind the television channels in terms of look, colour and feel, Garg said. Now the colour of each site, whether Sony or Max, matches the colour on the tube. Among the other changes that have been incorporated are that visitors are greeted with a navigation guide that has been brought on top. So one can straight away visit the section of one’s interest. Previously users found it difficult to find their way amid the clutter, Garg said.
Sony Entertainment’s head IT honcho Anil Garg.
According to Garg the revamp started two to three months ago and the site is now dynamic and database driven. He pointed out that the site had been revamped four to five times in the last three years. Tools used in the latest redesign included ASP, Java script. The work was done entirely in-house by a four-member team so costs were minimal, Garg said.
Regarding online initiatives to push programmes on the tube, Garg said microsites are designed every time a major programme initiative takes place on SET or MAX. Right now there is a microsite celebrating the Subhash Ghai film festival running on Max. In addition to plot synopsis and star bios, fans can also download attractive wallpaper, Garg said.
Regarding how the site would promote cricket, he said that plans were still being formulated. Cricketainment a site that was active in 1999-2000, could be revived, he said. Alternately, a separate section on the Sony site might be created, he said.
Queried whether his team had developed an ERP (enterprise resource planning) package for Sony Entertainment, Garg said that a 24-hour ERP system was in place which helps with both ad sales as well as subscription revenues.
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.
