News Broadcasting
B4U to be official South Asian media partner for CPL St. Lucia Stars
MUMBAI: B4U Network is excited to announce a tie-up with St Lucia Stars cricket team for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League, which will be played from 4 August to 9 September 2017.
The St Lucia Stars (formally known as the St Lucia Zouks) are a franchise cricket team representing the beautiful country of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean Premier League. The franchise is owned proudly by Chairman Jay Pandya. The team is currently captained by the skipper himself Daren Sammy and coached by veteran Stuart Williams, a former West Indies cricketer.
B4U is the primary South Asian media partner for this star-studded team that includes Shane Watson, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuel, Kamran Akmal and a host of others.
As the official media partners for the team, watch out for the logo of B4U on their arm on the playing field as the team partake in one of the world’s biggest T20 tournaments.
The Caribbean Premier League is a T20 tournament that showcases the beauty and talent of the Caribbean to the world. The best cricketers that the West Indies play alongside their international counterparts, in the unique carnival atmosphere for which the Caribbean is world-renowned. The CPL draws the attention of millions of cricket fans across the globe.
The 2016 CPL season was the St Lucia Stars most successful yet, with the Daren Sammy side reaching the CPL finals for the first time.
B4U head of international business, Ashok Shenoy states, “B4U is thrilled to have teamed up with St Lucia Stars cricket team for the 2017 CPL. In light of the release of major cricket focused Bollywood films such as ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ and ‘M.S Dhoni’, there is a strong synergy between Bollywood and Cricket. As one of the world’s leading South Asian entertainment channels our partnership with the St Lucia Stars Cricket team will exemplify this synergy, our strong brand identity in the Global sports market as well as our long standing digital presence in the Caribbean market. We wish the St Lucia Stars all the best during the CPL 2017!”
Jay Pandya St Lucia stars team owner states: “B4U has been a pioneer in taking Bollywood to a global audience. It is an honour to be associated with B4U, as I have enjoyed watching B4U Movies and B4U Music over the years. Cricket and Bollywood connect South Asians across the globe and while this association will further strengthen those bonds, I see B4U playing a pivotal role in promoting the CPL and in particular St Lucia Stars across the world through it’s various satellite beams.”
St Lucia Stars kick off the CPL season 4 August off facing rival Trinidad and Tobago Knightriders in match that is surely not to be missed.
CPL will be shown on BT Sport in UK, Sony Six In India and Willow TV in the U.S and across various other platforms on channels around the globe.
News Broadcasting
Network18 trims FY26 losses as Q4 revenue touches Rs 1,955 crore, 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.
