News Broadcasting
Tinsel Town TV’s Hasan to address Natpe conference
MUMBAI: The National Association of Television Producers and Executives (Natpe) announced the lineup of speakers for its annual conference to be held in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Convention Center from 25-27 January, 2005.
Joining Ted Turner and FCC Commissioner Michael J Copps on the docket is Tinseltown TV CEO Sheeraz Hasan, who has made waves with his multi-award-winning show which reaches 500 million people in 130 countries.
Hasan has one of the most remarkable rags-to-riches tales in show business, and he will be telling the story of his journey- from selling milkshakes in his London cafe to hosting and producing a globally-broadcast television show in the space of less than two years. Moving rapidly from local to national distribution, to global on his newly-launched WebTV channel Tinseltown.tv, Hasan has made history as the first Muslim to conquer Hollywood, and the secrets of his success will be divulged at the three-day conference that will be attended by every television executive in the world.
The circumstances that brought this dynamic young go-getter to the forefront of the biggest gathering of television movers-and-shakers is equally incredible: Natpe CEO Rick Feldman was on a flight from the UK to LA when he picked up a copy of the London Times newspaper and saw Hasan on the cover, accompanied by an in-depth article about his remarkable success story. Reading the praise lavished on Hasan by Creative Artists Agency founder Rowland Perkins, Feldman knew that here was someone who could inspire the younger generation to break into the television industry, and so he called Perkins immediately upon landing. Vouching for Hasan’s dynamism and integrity, Perkins encouraged Feldman to book Hasan as a speaker, and put the two of them in touch.
Hasan will be speaking at 2:45 pm on 27 January in the Presentation Theater of Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas at the Natpe 2005 Conference.
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.
