News Broadcasting
Time Warner’s net profit down 8 %
MUMBAI: For the third quarter ended 30 September, the media and entertainment conglomerate Time Warner recorded a net income of $499 million. The result showed an 8 per cent dip in profits.
The revenues for the quarter was $9.97 billion, up from $9.5 billion one year earlier. The company has established a $ 500 million reserve related to ongoing accounting investigation at AOL.
The investigation by Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department are on various accounting issues at American Online and related to its interest in AOL Europe before January 2002, when the company acquired Bertelsmann’s 80 per cent stake in the venture, as stated in media reports.
Following an internal review of the accounting matters related to AOL Europe, the company has decided to restate its financial results for 2000 and 2001. According to media reports, this could deepen 2001 net losses by $ 855 million and 2000 net losses by $308 million.
At AOL, revenues were up 1 per cent to $2.1 billion, while operating income climbed 74 per cent to $ 261 million. As of 20 September, AOL had 22.7 million domestic subscribers, a decline of 2 million from last year. Cable revenues rose 10 per cent to $2.1 billion with subscription revenues up 10 per cent and ad revenues up 11 per cent. Average monthly revenue per basic cable subscriber was also up, by 10 per cent to $76. Operating income increased by 11 percent to $438 million. Time Warner Cable ended the quarter with 10.9 million basic video cable subscribers, a 4.7 million digital video subscribers,informs the media reports.
The film and entertainment segment which constitutes Warner Brothers and New Line posted revenue increase of per cent to $ 2.5 billion and 4 per cent decrease in operating income to $ 12 million.
The gains made in the international theatrical revenues of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban and Troy were offset by a decline in worldwide theatrical home video and television licensing revenues.
The company attributed that the decline on account of a difficult comparison to the prior year, which included the release of the home video The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers.
The cable and broadcast networks delivered 8 per cent revenue growth to $2.2 billion, with subscription, advertising and content revenues all recording increases. The operating income was up 13 per cent to $574 million, according to the media reports.
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.
