News Broadcasting
Turner to handle ad sales for Zee MGM, Zee English & Trendz
MUMBAI: Distribution partners Zee Telefilms and Turner International India are expanding their relationship. Effective 1 July, Turner will be the exclusive advertising sales agent for Zees English entertainment & lifestyle channels Zee MGM, Zee English and Trendz.
Under this agreement, Turner will use its in-house expertise in India and internationally to promote the channels to advertisers in India and work with clients and agencies to increase advertising revenues on the channels, an official release states.
This agreement furthers the relationship between Zee and Turner that began when the two parties formed a joint venture company, Zee Turner Limited, in December 2001, to manage distribution and trade marketing for a bouquet of Zee and Turner channels as well as third party channels in India and South Asia.
Ad sales at Zee MGM and Zee English is currently being managed by Rohinton Maloo’s Cutting Edge Media. It was in September 2002 that Cutting Edge was appointed to manage the two English niche channels in the Zee bouquet with the brief to develop sales strategies and drive front end ad sales. At the time the deal was struck, Zee had an option to buy a strategic equity stake in the company at some point.
For Turner, the addition of Zee’s three channels augment the variety offered by Turner to advertisers, adding general entertainment, movies and fashion to the existing line-up of entertainment and news provided by Cartoon Network and CNN. Turner will be working closely with the Zee team to create effective sales solutions and will also expand its sales team to sell these three properties, the release says.
Anshuman Misra, Managing Director, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd, said, “Over the years, Turner has exceeded expectations and over-delivered in advertising sales for our own channels; and we are pleased to be leveraging our sales expertise to expand our partnership with Zee. With the addition of these channels, we have expanded our portfolio of tools with which we can create even more innovative marketing packages for advertisers to target consumers across a broader demographic spectrum.”
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.
