News Broadcasting
Star News first Indian nominee for ICDB
CANNES: The Star network’s Star News channel is among four nominees shortlisted for the 9th Annual International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) Award.
The other ICDB Nominees are: TV Cultura from Brazil, Channels Television from Nigeria and Canal Capital from Columbia.
The nominees were announced recently by The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, President, Fred Cohen at the ongoing MIPCOM, an official release says. It further adds that the winner will be announced at the 30th International Emmy Awards Gala held in New York on 25 November 2002.
On the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB), which falls in December, children take on the role of reporters, presenters and producers of programs that express their own dreams and concerns.
The broadcaster whose programming best captures the spirit of the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting will be presented by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and UNICEF at the annual International Emmy Awards Gala, states the release.This year’s Award will honour the 2001 December broadcaster.
Dr Prannoy Roy’s NDTV, which is the content provider for Star News, marked ICDB with several programmes throughout the day on the second Sunday of December 2001. It is the programmes that were telecast then that have been entered for the International Emmys. This is the first time an Indian Broadcasting Nominee has made it to the top four.
“Broadcasters can help to give children a voice through programming that involves genuine child participation – in other words programmes by and with children, rather than just for them. This is the basis of ICDB,” UNICEF’s Chief of Internet and Broadcasting Denise Searle was quoted as saying in the release.
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, a division of NATAS, was chartered in 1969 and is the largest organization of global broadcasters, with representatives from over 50 countries on its Board. It was created to honor excellence in television programming outside the United States by awarding the International Emmy Award.
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.
