News Broadcasting
Percept Sports and Entertainment to execute ‘Fresh Faces 2013’
MUMBAI: Percept Sports and Entertainment is all set to execute 'Fresh Faces 2013' an international modeling event in partnership with modelmanagement.com. Fresh Faces is an international modeling event which recognizes models from all across the globe which will be coming to India as New Faces 2013.
This is an era where the youth now looks to getting into the entertainment industry more than any other profession. Thousands of youngsters today want to become a model or an actor and look forward to opportunities such as this. Contestants will require to log on to the website http://www.modelmanagement.com/new-faces-india/ & submit their pictures before 31st August and encourage their friends, families and well wishers to vote. The popularity of candidates through voting across social media platforms will be an important criterion in selecting the contestants. These entries will then be shortlisted to 200, by an expert panel of judges comprising of the top names in India's fashion industry. These 200 shortlisted candidates will have to go through an audition in any of the 4 zones of India, through which 24 promising candidates (6 in each zone) will be finalized. These 24 finalists will then be brought to Mumbai and put through an extensive 4 day training program to prepare them for the grand finale in Mumbai on 27th September.
Fresh Faces, launched in 2010, is the global state-of-the-art modelling contest by modelmanagement.com, discovering the freshest model talent from around the world. This highly acclaimed contest was the world's first to combine online voting, social media promotion and live events with a major modelling web 2.0 community. The Fresh Faces contest finals take place in prestigious and fashionable venues across the world and previous events have been held in the cities of Paris, Berlin, Vienna and Amsterdam. The 2013 edition of Fresh Faces finals will be held in the breathtaking city of Barcelona. Currently it is active in 42 countries in 2013 and works in partnership with some of the best known international modelling agencies in the various countries, such as Esee, Central Models, Fotogen and ModelKarma, representing and discovering models including Isabeli Fontana, Claudia Schiffer and Sara Sampaio has a top-class panel of international expert judges to select the final winners.
Commenting on this, Savio Sequeira, CEO, Percept Sports and Entertainment said, "The increasing recognition of Indian Fashion designers and styles is making Brand India fashionable.
The Indian look is grabbing eyeballs not just on ramps in the country but also in the fashion capitals of the world. Why should Indian Models be left behind? Percept Sports and Entertainment is excited to come on board as partner with Model Management to kick off the India chapter of New Faces as part of the worldwide Model hunt contest 'Fresh Faces'. It's a fantastic opportunity for all those aspiring to be on the cover of a leading Fashion Magazine or walk the ramps in Milan – who can now make that dream a reality. Go on, Get discovered!"
Andreas von Estorff, Founder & CEO – modelmanagement.com adds "We are very excited to start this global modelling contest in India with our partner Percept. There is so much great undiscovered talent in India and we believe that the demand for Indian models will increase dramatically within the next years, placing Indian Super Models right at the top with the Bollywood Stars or Cricket Players. The fashion and modelling industries will be scrutinizing India's New Faces at the Fresh Faces Grand Final in Barcelona where they will compete for a World title against models from other 40 countries.
"Having said that, beauty is everywhere and there is a 'long tail' demand for many different looks and modelling disciplines. We are not only targeting THE Supermodel. Together with Percept, we want to build the biggest Archive of Models and People for any kind of photo shoot or TV commercial. The demand for Models in Advertising in Media such as Websites, Print Magazines, Flyers, Brochures, Posters, Billboards and TV is huge and consistently increasing. So aside from nominating 2 winners, New Faces also gives many hopeful applicants the chance to find their place in the modelling industry", concludes Andreas.
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.
