News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak brings together a historic panel- 7 World Cup Champions on 1 platform
MUMBAI: The Legends come together on 18th Oct 2014, when India’s No.1 News channel Aaj Tak celebrates Cricket with the mega event – Salaam Cricket. As the countdown to the World Cup 2015 begins, 7 World champions and 14 Captains converge on one stage to usher in the battleground 2015.
Be ready to witness the historic union of legends to salute a game that’s nothing short of a religion – Cricket.
Never before have so many great legends joined a conclave to debate the road ahead. Ever since team India lifted the trophy at the last World Cup after a gap of 18 years, the expectations are high. With eyes set on the trophy, the Conclave aptly titled ‘Kaise Jeetenge World Cup’ will be the biggest meeting point of top cricketing minds
Speaking ahead of the event, Supriya Prasad – Managing Editor – Aaj Tak said, “Aaj Tak will bring together the greatest legends of the game in this definitive event. The inspiring discussions and expert opinions from the stalwarts will surely have the cricket viewers asking for more.”
Ashish Bagga, Group CEO – India Today Group added, “The India Today Group is a leader in the space for creating benchmark News Events. Salaam Cricket with its inspiring line-up of legends on one platform is an Industry first that is a reflection of Aajtak’s commitment to being Sabse Tez.”
The World Cup winning captains who will be part of the daylong event are – Clive Lloyd, 1975 & 1979 Champion, Kapil Dev, 1983 Champion, Allan Border, 1987 Champion, Imran Khan, 1992 Champion, Arjuna Ranatunga, 1996 Champion, Steve Waugh, 1999 Champion, Ricky Ponting, 2003 & 2007 Champion. The greatest Indian Captains including Sunil Gavaskar, Saurav Ganguly, Bishen Singh Bedi, Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja will also be part of the event. Key members of the Indian World Cup winning squad including Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla and Ashish Nehra will be among the many superstars who will take centre stage.
The day will start with session – “Winning the World Cup – Start of a Revolution” by world cup winning captains- Kapil Dev & Clive Lloyd. This will be followed by the session “Thunder Down Under” addressed by the former Australian World Cup Winning Captains- Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricking Ponting. The next session will have Yuvraj Singh sharing his thoughts in – Story of a Winner.
A special session will also see Indian Cricketers rom the 2011 World Cup squad – Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra and Piyush Chawla wishing the Indian Team for the upcoming World Cup.
Emotions will run high around the session- India V/s Pak which will witness former Indian and Pakistan captains like- Sourav Ganguly, Kapil Dev, Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Inzmam-Ul-Haq & Aamer Sohail discussing the excitement and the high expectations when the two cricketing rivals go on to play.
The day will close with the World Cup winning captains sharing the stage in the “Seven Wonders: All WC Winning Captains on One Platform”. The session will have Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Allan Border, Imran Khan, Arjuna Ranatunga, Steve Waugh & Ricky Ponting sharing their views.
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.
