News Broadcasting
Soundtrack Channel now available in India, only on Dish TV
NEW DELHI: The Soundtrack channel has signed a carriage agreement with Dish TV, 20 per cent owned by Zee Telefilms, for exclusive distribution throughout India.
The California-based music channel would be available in India on Dish TV. The channel features some of the hottest movies and television music across the globe. It brings viewers up close and personal with celebrities, to the movie making process, and gives the latest movie news from Hollywood.
STC has created its own videos for films such as Bend It Like Beckham, Real Women Have Curves, Confessions of A Dangerous Mind and Meet Joe Black. STC plays all the latest movie music video hits like Terminator 3, Bad Boys II, Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and Legally Blonde 2 as well as the classic movies like Titanic, Apollo 13, Star Wars and Goldfinger.
According to STC CEO Bill Lee, “The agreement with Dish TV is our first step into the Indian market. STC has proven to be very successful, to become extremely popular with subscribers in 32 countries where STC is distributed. We hope to continue the trend in the Indian market too.”
On Dish TV, the Soundtrack Channel would be available in the Dish Plus bouquet along with 10 other English channels at a price of Rs 125 per month, apart from the Welcome bouquet.
Announcing the launch of the new channel on Dish TV, Dish TV CEO Sunil Khanna said, “We are glad to make Soundtrack Channel available to a pan-Indian audience on Dish TV. This is another step toward bringing quality entertainment channels to the country.”
Dish TV, country’s first DTH service, claims to have a subscriber base of over 150,000 and through various packages offers about 100 channels.
But apart from the Zee stable of channels, some other popular Hindi entertainment channels like Star Plus and Sony have still kept away from joining the DTH platform.
News Broadcasting
Network18 posts Rs 1,955 crore revenue, narrows FY26 losses
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.
