News Broadcasting
Ten Sports, SET beaming into Europe on Pehla DTH platform
MUMBAI: The Dubai-based Arab Digital Distribution (ADD) DTH platform’s Pehla bouquet has started beaming into mainland Europe.
Pehla, which targets South Asian audiences, launched on 1 November as “Pehla – Premium Asian Entertainment Television in Europe”. Speaking about the launch, Vinod DMello executive vice-president, network development & marketing of ADD told indiantelevision.com, “We are building our platform on Hotbird with Irdeto conditional access system. At present during the introductory phase we are offering five channels (Sony Entertainment Television, Geo TV, Ten Sports, EuroSports and Eurosports News) and we will shortly be enhancing the bouquet with additional channels in the basic tier and increased subscription options (Pehla Basic, Pehla Silver, Pehla Gold). The recommended retail price (Introductory offer) is Euro 19.90 per month.”
For Ten Sports, the Europe beam gives the Abdurrahman Bukhatir-promoted channel its first expansion outside South Asia and the Middle East. This is the fourth dedicated feed that Ten Sports will be offering, after the feeds that are currently in operation for India, Pakistan and the Middle East.
D’Mello said Pehla Europe was targeting the south Asian audience of approximately 1.7 million living in mainland Europe with a competitive pricing strategy, flexible subscription and payment options.
In the Middle East the ADD platform is on Nilesat. ADD operates three DTH bouquet offerings – Pehla, First Net (targeted at Westerners) and Al-Awael (aimed at Arabs).
As far as coverage is concerned, the Europe beam is one area where Ten has an advantage over ESPN Star Sports because ESS cannot broadcast outside the Asian region.
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.
