News Broadcasting
WBU-TC demands rethinking on MPEG-4 AVC licensing
MUMBAI: World Broadcasting Unions Technical Committee (WBU-TC), the technical arm of the Canada based World Broadcasting Union, has expressed extreme concern about the licensing of MPEG-4 AVC, says an official press release.
MPEG-4 AVC is the latest version of video-compression standard which will replace the earlier version called MPEG-2 introduced in 1990.
The MPEG-2 video-compression standard has enjoyed exclusive dominance in the broadcasting world since its launch. But the system now reaching its practical limits and the demand for compression still growing high, the new version of compression standard is introduced to pick up where MPEG-2 leaves off.
The World Broadcasting Unions Technical Committee (WBU-TC) is the collective technical body for the world’s eight broadcasting unions and is responsible for technical broadcasting issues of importance to the members of the Unions. It reflects the opinions of the world’s national broadcasters.
The committee expressed its concern in a press release dated 21 May 2003. The release says that the WBU- TC has commented on the licensing arrangements for MPEG-4 Visual and strongly objected to the concept of fees based on usage. The committee also expressed the hope that the licensing structure for MPEG-4 AVC would not be a barrier to massive global adoption.
Again on 17 November 2003, MPEG LA issued a news release entitled “MPEG LA Announces Terms of Joint H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Patent License” (http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_03-11-17_avc.html) which indicated that free-to-air broadcasters would be required to pay “Participation Fees” amounting to US $10,000 per year for markets of greater than 100,000 households.
Of late, on 18 May 2004, MPEG LA has announced (http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_04-05-18_avc.pdf)) that the terms of this license will be modified to include the option of paying a one-time fee of US $2,500 for each encoder used in transmitting MPEG-4 AVC video for free broadcast television.
Despite this concession, the WBU-TC has unanimously concluded that the MPEG-4 AVC licensing terms remain extremely onerous for free-to-air broadcasters. The WBU-TC suggests that free-to-air broadcasters should be exempted from charges for use of MPEG-4 AVC. In the absence of such an exemption, the WBU-TC may recommend that the world’s major broadcasters should not use MPEG-4 AVC, says the release.
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.
