News Broadcasting
UK’s ITC for ’16-QAM’ in DTT transmission
LONDON: Britain’s Independent Television Commission (ITC) yesterday amended its technical standards to authorise those digital broadcasters who wish to broadcast in ’16-QAM’ transmission mode to press ahead. This follows the readvertising of licences for three digital terrestrial multiplexes and the success of tenders based on the ’16-QAM’ transmission mode.
In the light of technical assessments, including laboratory trials, and following the licence awards the ITC has said it is minded to mandate ’16-QAM’ as the transmission mode for all DTT services. A consultation on this proposition closed on 12 September.
Proponents of a change to ’16-QAM’ argued strongly that the benefits in terms of coverage and signal robustness justifies making ’16-QAM’ the mandatory transmission standard. Other respondents argued strongly that the research evidence for this was not strong enough to outweigh the disbenefit of reducing the number of services available.
The ITC has decided to commission an independent study to undertake tests in dual mode, ’64-QAM’ and ’16-QAM’ transmission in October when both modes will be in use.
The ITC will shortly be announcing field trials and research to provide practical in-home evidence of the performance of the two transmission modes. The most critical issue to assess will be the potential for differential performance between the public service channels carried at ’64-QAM’, and those at ’16-QAM’, in poor reception areas and in the presence of impulse interference (e.g. from thermostats, car ignitions, refrigerators etc).
This research will allow the Freeview service to launch with its preferred mode and the industry to assess the impact of transmission mode change based on real evidence. The ITC is minded to choose the ’16-QAM’ transmission mode but intends to make a final decision on this issue for the New Year based on the outcome of this research.
BBC and Crown Castle, who between them operate four of the six digital terrestrial television multiplexes, plan to move to a ’16-QAM’ transmission mode from the launch of their new service, known as ‘Freeview’. The remaining two multiplex operators, Digital 3 and 4 and SDN, will be permitted to continue transmission at ’64-QAM’ during this interim period.
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.
