News Broadcasting
Infocom 2013 kicks off in Kolkata today
KOLKATA: The twelfth edition of Infocom, a three-day annual Information Technology (IT) conclave from the Kolkata-headquartered media company, ABP group, kicked off in the city today.
Driving IT awareness and envisioning organisations and individuals to be IT enabled has been of prime focus of the conclave every year. Now in its 12th edition, Infocom has chosen “Empowerment” as the theme for 2013. The focus of the conclave this year would be on digital empowerment and also on empowerment with innovation and creativity.
ABP managing director and CEO DD Purkayastha on the sidelines of the event said that with India envisioning to become a developed nation in the next few years, there is a growing need to incorporate the concept of creativity in our developmental planning. “And with the aid of technology we also have to drive innovations. These would be areas under focus this year,” he said.
“When we talk about empowerment, the emphasis is on the fact that we want to empower individual consumers, citizens of the country as well as organizations digitally, technologically, socially, gender-wise, educationally, occupationally and many more ways. India needs young entrepreneurs,” he said.
West Bengal IT minister Partha Chatterjee, who inaugurated the event said, “Despite economic downturn, the IT exports from the state stood at Rs 11,200 crore in the last fiscal year 2012-13 as compared to Rs 9,500 crore achieved in the financial year 2011-12. The IT industry gives direct employment to around 1.30 lakh IT professionals and an indirect employment to around 6 lakh people in the state.”
The event is expected to bring together over 1,200 delegates, 75 speakers and 40 sponsoring companies. Besides, more than 100 exhibitors from across the globe would display their products and services.
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.
