News Broadcasting
Tennis’ big boys converge for Masters championship on Star Sports
The highly anticipated year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney kicks off on Star Sports on Monday at 5:30 pm.
The final will be telecast on 18 November at 6:30 pm. Only the top eight players are allowed entry into the tournament, so one can expect the quality of tennis to be of the highest order from day one. Expectedly, it is considered the most prestigious tennis tournament after the Grand Slam events.
In Sydney, huge banners have been put up on the main city streets, as part of the promotional campaign. A prize money of US $ 3.7 million is at stake for the eight gladiators. Two groups – the Ken Rosewall Group and the John Newcombe Group, will compete in the round robin competition. The top two players from each group will advance to the semi finals.
All four Grand Slam winners are competing in the event this year. This includes temperamental Croat Goran Ivanisevic, who shocked his peers by winning Wimbledon as a wildcard, Australian sensation Leyton Hewitt, who stunned Pete Sampras in the US Open final, and the best clay court player in the world, flamboyant Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten. Wimbledon runner up Pat Rafter will be the sentimental favourite, as he has indiacted that this could very well be the last time he plays in a Masters Cup event or perhaps even in Australia
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.
