News Broadcasting
UTV plans to launch US $25 million film fund in 2003
MUMBAI: With Indian filmdom, gradually getting a modicum of corporatisation, the coming year is going to see a gaggle of film funds to take it further up the professional path and bring clean money into it.
Multimedia firm UTV is aiming to be the front runner in film funds. It is planning the launch of a film fund in early 2003. The fund is in its final planning stages.
UTV Group CEO and Ronnie Screwvala claimed that the fund will have a targeted corpus of US$ 25 million. Initially, US$ 5 Million will be raised by the first quarter of 2003.
UTV officials claim that the fund is directed at those individuals and entities, who are looking at investing in the motion picture space in India. These prospective investors include high net worth individuals, in India and globally; VCC and private equity funds; overseas filmfunds and banking institutions and corporates making forays into the industry.
The fund will allow prospective investors, who are looking for transparency and a relatively de-risked model plus, to hedge their interests amongst multiple projects. The existing funds invite people to invest in a specific movie, rather than on a ‘project to project’ basis.
UTV officials also claim the fund will be the first fund of its kind because of its carefully designed structure; not as a private company attracting equity investment. It will also be registered with the relevant security and exchange bodies.
UTV, which began as a TV commercial and corporate film producer, has been building its core competencies in motion picture production over the past three to four years.
It has distributed close to 14 movies, and co-produced one movie in the past two and a half years. 11 of the 14 have been hits. These include titles like Lagaan, Sarfarosh, Mission Kashmir, Hera Pheri and many others.
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.
