News Broadcasting
Workshop on DVB and Internet Protocol draws healthy response
Over 150 attendees from 67 organisations, including government, institutions, international corporations, Internet Service Providers and broadcasters attended the Delhi workshop on Digital Video Broadcasting and Internet Protocol.
Dishnet DSL, a leading ISP and the first ISP in India to offer the DSL, broadband access, sponsored the workshop as an existing customer of PCM, along with other co-sponsors. Indiantelevision.com (this site) was the on-line partner for the event
Speaking at the inaugural function, director engineering of Prasar Bharati Y Pratap highlighted the advantages of DVB and IP via satellite for broadcasters and telecommunications player. He said: “As IP via satellite can offer more bandwidth, the service offered can be many and the quality will also be of good quality”.
During the same function, senior V-P sales and marketing of Pacific Century Matrix Loo Tong Mun said that the company intends to offer a global network that serves as a single resource for customers’ worldwide requirements. According to Mun, there has been exponential growth in traffic over Internet and PCM, while exploiting the opportunities, will develop beyond Internet access to a caching and multicasting and content distribution facilitator.
Focussing on the advantages of satellite for IP, Mun said that it makes the whole process “distance insensitive” while being reliable and scalable mechanism for delivery.
Other speakers during the inaugural function included RRN Prasad of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Amitabh Singhal, secretary of Internet Service Providers’ Association of India and Guru Hariharan of Call Centers Association of India.
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.
