News Broadcasting
Times Television Network’s operations affected by Kamala Mills compound fire
MUMBAI: For Times Television staffers that were working the late night shift at Kamala Mills Compound in Mumbai, the night of 28 December 2017 was a bit of a nightmare. The conflagration that swept through restaurants 1 Above and Mojo Bistro and claimed 15 lives could have gutted the Times TV Network premises as well as Zoom’s offices, which were located on the first floor.
But luckily it impacted only parts of the office that cover almost 150,000 square feet. However, the smoke and heat forced night staff to leave their computer stations. Moreover, the flames damaged the uplinking facilities located on the premises, specially the cables that linked the playout that led to the dishes on the terrace of the building.
The net result: Times Now, ET Now, Mirror Now, Romedy Now, MNX, and Zoom and others went off air. And most distribution platforms carried an apology notice, in place of the live feed, which stated that the channel signals could not be received because of technical difficulties.
Sources within Times TV indicate that what could have caused further damage is the fact that the flames from above were threatening to pass down through the air conditioning ducts to the Zoom office and the firefighters turned their hoses spraying hundreds of gallons of water down the chutes that prevented any further damage due to the fire. However, a lot of equipment went kaput thanks to the water and the subsequent flooding, rendering the premises unfit for any activity. As a result, most of the staff is working from home.
Additionally, other sources claim that it was the quick action of Times TV engineering and technical staffers that helped rescue close to 150 guests in the restaurant above. “There was one exit, which was locked but our technical staff broke it open that allowed them to escape,” says a source. “However, not all could escape the ravaging fire and be rescued.”
Times Now, Mirror Now and ET Now restarted at 5:58 am following the shifting of the channel’s uplink to Essel Shyam in Noida and to Times TV Network’s Delhi studios. Anchors such as Faye Dsouza flew overnight to the capital in order to be able to anchor shows from the studio there.
However, other services like Romedy Now, Movies Now, Zoom and MNX were yet to begin transmission as the servers were damaged during the fire and firefighting operations.
Other staffers have been moved to the fifth floor of the Times Tower, which is opposite the burnt out premises.
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.
