News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati ends old pitch system, shifts all content to Waves Bazaar
Public broadcaster shuts NIPP and NIFFP routes, makes digital portal the only submission path
NEW DELHI: India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has scrapped its traditional content proposal routes and will now accept all pitches through a single digital marketplace, Waves Bazaar.
In a circular issued this week, the broadcaster said it will no longer accept submissions under the Notice Inviting Programme Proposals (NIPP) and Notice Inviting Feature Film Proposals (NIFFP) with immediate effect. The change applies to all content types, including television programmes, web series, short films and feature films, that were earlier pitched for Doordarshan channels and the Waves OTT platform.
The NIPP and NIFFP notices were issued in September 2024 and later expanded in November to include already produced content. That submission window is now closed.
According to the circular, all future programme and film proposals for both DD channels and Waves OTT must be submitted through the Waves Bazaar portal.
Waves Bazaar is being positioned as a digital marketplace where content owners and buyers can pitch and evaluate projects through online viewing rooms. The platform spans film, television, animation, gaming and live events, and is open to both studios and independent creators.
The move is part of Prasar Bharati’s broader digital push around Waves OTT, which has crossed eight million downloads in its first year. The broadcaster has also introduced monetisation tools such as pay per view and a content syndication policy to generate revenue from new commissions and its archive.
With Waves Bazaar feeding into both Waves OTT and Doordarshan, the broadcaster aims to create a streamlined system for content discovery, acquisition and distribution. For producers and rights holders, the message is straightforward. All future submissions must now go through the Waves Bazaar portal.
The circular does not clarify the status of proposals already submitted under the earlier notices, and producers are awaiting further guidance on timelines or migration to the new system.
Either way, the direction is clear. Even the country’s public broadcaster is leaning into a digital first workflow, as Prasar Bharati tries to make Waves the tide that carries both its OTT ambitions and its traditional television networks.
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.
