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“We are all very different and we have different ideas and we should have respect for each other for who we are” says Nandita Das
Mumbai : At the second edition of ABP Network’s ‘Ideas of India’ Summit, filmmaker, writer & social advocate Nandita Das said “India is not one India. It’s cliched to say ‘unity in diversity’, but I grew up in an India which was so inherently diverse, there was no desire to put it in any one framework. I never felt the need to even define it because by defining you are limiting India. India is everything. You have the most progressive ideas here and you will have the most traditional and regressive ones”
Speaking on her new film ‘Zwigato’ Das said, “It began as an anthology that didn’t materialize and it came not only about the food delivery rider but his family, his wife, his children, and many other people who form our world and have remained so invisible, the watchman, the nanny. It’s not a blame game on big companies, not a blame game on the consumers. It is really a slice of life in 4 days.”
Filmmaker Mira Nair said, “Salaam Bombay was a life & death story for me, no one knew me or had money for me. I got a little Grant of $150,000 from NFDC. I went to a channel in England that matched that money and that was the money with which I started the film. But the point was that I did not want to apologize for the cinema, I did not want to say I am from the third world and that’s why it looks out of focus. I spent the entire 300,000$ on 35mm cameras, on great diffusion, and good lighting but on the streets with the children, having no money really to finish the film and post-production. I was shooting in the morning and at night I would raise money on the phone.It was really difficult and I didn’t know from one day to the next if we would shoot.”
The ABP Network’s “Ideas of India” Summit 2023 was discussing the topic of “Director’s Cut, Telling Original Stories” The summit has brought together policymakers, cultural ambassadors, industry experts, celebrities, and business leaders to discuss the critical role of India during the global churn and changing dynamics. ABP Network is a leading multi-language channel ring 535 million individuals in India therefore this summit provides one of the biggest platforms for the brightest minds across various sectors to express their views.
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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.
