News Broadcasting
Video and Broadband Summit 2022 sheds light on emerging business opportunities
Mumbai: Video consumption in India is at its peak, and while the platforms might have changed, consumption is growing every day by multiples. On 16 November, in a day-long ‘Video & Broadband Summit 2022’ industry TV and broadcasting experts delved deep to get a perspective on emerging business opportunities such as direct-to-mobile broadcasting, satellite broadband, and 5G.
The summit was organised by Indiantelevision.com and associate partners were Broadpeak and NxtDigital. IN10 Network, One Take Media Co., and Sony Television Network India were the industry partners for the summit, and SIA-India (the Satcom Industry Association) was the associate partner for the event.
This year’s event commenced with the opening speech of ITV founder and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, where he remarked that video consumption habits are changing. He said, “As we go around India and across the world, it’s exciting to figure it out. What should we do next? What should the video industry do next? What’s the problem next? Perhaps in a couple of years, but will that change the way consumer countries distribute our videos?”
The topic for the first session was “video content monetization landscape: no free lunches.” It was chaired by media consultant Anuj Gandhi. And the panellists were Disney Star distribution and international head Gurjeev Singh Kapoor, NxtDigital Ltd managing director & CEO Vynsley Fernandes, IndiaCast president Amit Arora, Travelxp co-founder & CEO Prashant Chothani and Deloitte India partner – consulting Prashanth Rao.
The summit was followed by a fireside chat on “Trends in Media,” where Jio Platforms Ltd. group chief financial officer Saurabh Sancheti shared his insights on ads in media with Wanvari.
The second panel was on the topic “will broadband-over-satellite services grow fixed broadband penetration in India?” The session was moderated by Satcom Industry Association Technology & Policy senior director Rajeev Gambhir, and the panellists were Fastway & Netplus Group CEO Prem Ojha, Intelsat South Asia, managing sales director Gaurav Kharod, Hughes Communications senior director Kiran Sangoram, NxtDigital Ltd. chief business officer Sameer Kanse and Extreme Internet eXchange executive director & CEO Raunak Maheshwari.
Maheshwari also gave a presentation on “extreme ixp – enhancing the video experience of broadband users.”
The third panel discussed “convergence – connected TV poised for programmatic success.” It was chaired by Madison Digital vice president Kosal Malladi. The speakers for the session were Samsung ad sales & agency development head Vikram Chande, Raymond Consumer Care digital lead Mamta Taliwala, QYOU Media India chief operating officer Krishna Menon and PlayboxTV founder & CEO Aamir Mulani. Mulani also gave a presentation on “India’s super OTT aggregator & content marketplace app.”
The subject for the fourth panel was “why DPO’s/ISP’s/broadcasters need to build a robust advertising business?” The session was moderated by Wanwari. The speakers for the session were Broadpeak business development director Pieter Liefooghe, GTPL Hathway senior vice president Yatin Gupta, MetroCast Network India promoter Nagesh Chhabria, Indian Cable Net Co. Ltd. director Suresh Sethiya, Shemaroo chief operating officer – broadcasting business Sandeep Gupta, and Samsung TV Plus business development head Kunal Mehta.
The summit concluded with the last panel discussion on the topic of “differentiating news broadcast in a cluttered world of information.” This session was also moderated by Anil Wanwari. The panellists were Times Network digital business president and chief operating officer Rohit Chadda, Sabot One Pvt Ltd chairman & managing director Atul Saraf, Odisha Television Network business development officer Litisha Panda, and Lokmat Media Pvt. Ltd. senior executive vice president & digital business head Hemant Jain.
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.
