News Broadcasting
ZEE unveils its Technology and Innovation Centre in Bengaluru
Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises has announced the launch of its Technology and Innovation Centre in India’s tech capital – Bengaluru. The state-of-the-art facility was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai on Friday.
The sprawling 80,000 feet centre will be the Company’s epicentre to build a strong cohort of tech, data and talent.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Bommai said, “For decades, the state of Karnataka has maintained its position as the technology capital of the country and Bengaluru, its capital city, has now become the Silicon Valley of the nation. The ecosystem that Bengaluru has created, is difficult to replicate and has been created by none other than the citizens of the city. The government of Karnataka is extremely delighted to be a part of Zee’s initiative and I am confident that the Technology & Innovation Centre set up by Zee will help to accelerate the growth prospects of the state. Public-private partnership is essential for the growth and long term success of any state and we will ensure that we walk shoulder to shoulder with Zee in this journey.”
The governor of Karnataka, Thawar Chand Gehlot said, “The coming years promise fast paced growth & development for the state of Karnataka, mainly due to the evolution of the IT and start-up ecosystem in Bengaluru. The capital city has been consistently ranked among the Top 30 Global Start-up Ecosystems and we are glad that Corporates like ZEE are focusing their investments on India’s Silicon Valley. I congratulate ZEE on launching the tech centre and firmly believe that it will assist in propelling the state to a global stage and uplift the lives of professionals in the tech industry.”
Zee’s president -technology Nitin Mittal said “At the Tech & Innovation Centre, we are building the ability for ZEE to leverage digital technologies to improve our reach and engage our customers anytime, anywhere across all devices. We have been a frontrunner in creating engaging content for more than 1.3 billion viewers and are currently focused on building Web 3.0 entertainment platforms. This Centre will build the metaverse future of ZEE including AR, VR, NFTs and relevant data models to our digital platforms.”
Zee’s president-HR and Transformation Animesh Kumar said, “Our newly inaugurated Technology & Innovation Centre is an amalgam of a cross-functional talent pool of like-minded individuals ready to challenge the status quo and create innovative solutions in the digital ecosystem. The vibrant workspace is designed with a unique employee value proposition focused on culture, collaboration & innovation is bound to spark ideas and disrupt the ConTech space. We have onboarded some of the brightest tech talent in India that will create the next level of frictionless, highly personalised delivery platforms for content consumption, thereby setting new standards in the country. This is the Centre that will drive our ambition to dominate content consumption in India and for South Asians globally”.
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.
