News Broadcasting
Zee Turner launches “Smart Sellers” training program for cable ops in four metros
NEW DELHI: Further to its drive to educate and inform consumers and partners on the advantages of CAS, Zee Turner Ltd, the distribution arm of Zee Telefilms and Turner International bouquet of channels, today, launched a comprehensive training program for cable operators in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
Titled “Smart Sellers”, the training program will be conducted by National Institute of Sales (NIS) in collaboration with Zee Turner executives between 18 June – 10 July, 2003 in the four cities. Zee Turner had earlier this month launched an educative campaign on CAS targeting consumers on all leading Zee channels.
Commenting on the launch of the training program, Zee Turner CEO Sunil Khanna said, “Cable operators have always been an integral part of our business and are our brandambassadors to the consumer. Being the leaders, we felt the need to organize a training program for cable operators since CAS is all set to redefine their role. They will have to directly interface with the consumers on queries on STBs, channel frequencies and price-value proposition of channel bouquets. Thus our training program will equip them with the necessary technical skills as well as help them develop soft skills to service their customers better.”
The “Smart Sellers” training program will be held for cable operators in consultation with MSOs in the four metros and is expected to have participation from over 2,000 cable operators. The training program will be divided into the following interactive sessions:
Module on selling skills, which will have role-plays on mapping and identifying pre-sale processes, collection of customer data and self-presentation. This will be followed by a session on developing softer skills for building a rapport with the consumer, accessing the needs of the family and objective handling of customer queries to clarify doubts.
There will also be a separate module on technical details of set top boxes and crisis management.
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.
