News Broadcasting
TV producer Chanana launches Media Factory
MUMBAI: Former actor and TV show producer Aashish Chanana has launched his company Media Factory to focus on producing five ‘crossover’ feature films every year.
While addressing the media and invited guests – which included TV industry personalities – Media Factory MD Chanana said: “Media Factory represents the new face of the Indian film industry that is geared to spearhead a radical departure from traditional cinema. The five films will be aimed at a broad audience both in India and abroad.” Also present on the occasion were BMG Crescendo head Suresh Thomas and Media factory chairman Dr Charanjit Chanana (former member of parliament).
The following is the list of the five films to be produced: Dreams, Mission Bangkok, Namaste America, Bombay Times and an unnamed one. Chanana added the budget of the movies is tentatively Rs 20-30 million each.
Media Factory has forged alliances with experts who will look after various aspects of film marketing, publicity, distribution and promotion. Ad major Lowe’s Lintentertainment will be the marketing arm for providing the requisite support. Lintertainment head Gitanjali Kirloskar said: “It’s a pleasure associating with Media Factory. We look forward to create a revolution in the entertainment industry.”
Chairman Dr Charanjit Chanana added that the company is focussed on achieving cost savings while increasing production quality, by applying some the risk-free business techniques and technology development techniques in filmmaking.
When asked about TV serials, Chanana said: “I have just finished a telefilm Shoharat. However, Media Factory will concentrate on making films for the big screen. The shooting for the first film, Dreams, will start on in mid September and it should be released by February 2004. Some members of my team will continue to do advertising, corporate films and TV shows but I shall concentrate on the film projects.”
Chanana started his career as an actor with a lead role in mainstream feature films. He has produced 1,000 hours of TV software. He produced, directed and acted in Cine Communication centre’s telefilm Tasveer opposite Moon Moon Sen which was aired on Doordarshan. He has done TV shows for Doordarshan (Star Show and Ek Mulakat), Zee (Shooting Shooting), Dubai TV (Action Bollywood), Mauritius TV-MBC (Popcorn) His fully integrated state of the art post production has been in existence since a decade.
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.
