News Broadcasting
Universal Music India signs top 11 contestants from ‘Indian Idol juniors’
MUMBAI: Leading label Universal Music India has signed the top eleven contestants from the popular `Idol’ television property Indian Idol Junior that just completed its debut season. Emerging as a powerhouse of explosive talent, the Top 11 Indian Idol Juniors were chosen from millions of aspirants across India. The nation was taken by storm by the young musical wonders, who continued to keep the audiences in awe week after week with their prodigious flair.
A well established brand already, it is the first year that the `Idol’ propertyintroduced a `junior’ season. The junior edition of the show proved to be a huge success as is evident from the impressive young talent that emerged out of which 11 proved to shine far brighter than the rest. Universal Music offers the contestants a 360 contract wherein the young artists’ assignments will be exclusively managed by the leading record label.
Speaking on the occasion, Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director, Universal Music India & South Asia, said, “Our association with `Idol’ both globally & here has been very successful as we saw with II6 where we were able to take the recorded music piece & the Live piece & make it into a sustainable business. The Indian Idol 6 kids performed some 60 shows in over ten countries over 11 months. Now our endeavor with the Indian Idol Junior kids will exactly be the same, only with the added advantage of having a wider audience to reach out to. Our partnership with future thinking companies like Fremantle will allow us to do just that. The talent has been outstanding and it’s my firm belief that the Indian Idol Juniors today are tomorrow’s stars.”
The talent on Indian Idol junior has been of an exceptional level. We are pleased to announce our association with Universal Music to build this talent into young legends.” added Anupama Mandloi, Managing Director, Fremantlemedia India.
Along with the winner Anjana Padmanabhan, the musical sensations who created waves are Nirvesh Dave, Debanjana Karmakar, Anmol Jaswal, Sugandha Date, Sonakshi Kar, Priyam Borpatragohain, Akash Sharma, Sankalp Yaduwanshi,Eman Chaudhary and Aryan Das along with the winner Anjana Padmanabhan, all of whom set the stage ablaze with their fiery talent
Universal Music has signed on these young superstars for a holistic 360 degree contract wherein all aspects including `live’ show, endorsements, music albums etc. will be solely managed by the label.
For more enquires on shows, contact smiran.bansal@umusic.com.
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.
