News Broadcasting
MGM, G4 TV network, Berliner Film team with Mel Brooks on animated series
MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) is teaming with the G4 television network, Brooksfilms Limited, and Berliner Film Companie GmbH (Berliner) on the US release of a new original television series based on the classic Mel Brooks comedy Spaceballs.
G4, which is now available in 59 million cable and satellite homes nationwide, has exclusively licensed the first run of Spaceballs: The Animated Series for the US market. The series will be produced by Berliner in association with Brooksfilms. Already in production, Berliner will produce 13 half-hour episodes, which will debut on G4 in Fall 2007.
MGM Worldwide Television Distribution Group, a unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., will officially launch the property at the upcoming MIPCOM international television festival in Cannes, France (9-13 October).
Spaceballs: The Animated Series brings together a talented team of comedy specialists. Brooks, who over the past 40 years has created classics as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and both versions of The Producers, co-wrote the Spaceballs pilot with Thomas Meehan. Meehan will oversee all writing for the first 13 episodes. Brooks will also lend his voice to two of the characters in the show, President Skroob and Yogurt.
MGM Worldwide Television Distribution Group President Jim Packer, said, “This series has all the elements of a great comedy show. Mel Brooks has one of the top comedy minds in the business and the Berliner team has an impressive track record for producing quality animation. On the heels of retooling our worldwide television distribution group, MGM will be an active player in bringing first-run series to the marketplace and Spaceballs is a good example of the programming partnerships we can create with this vast library.”
G4 President Neal Tiles added, “As the go-to network for men 18-34, irreverent humor is one of the benchmarks of our programming philosophy, as is animation. Mel Brooks’ classic movies Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles are just as relevant to our young male audience today as they were when they were first released. His brand of humor will resonate well with our viewers.
In the pilot episode of Spaceballs: The Animated Series, the storyline will be similar to that of the movie, which was released theatrically in 1987. The evil Dark Helmet kidnaps Princess Vespa of the Planet Druidia. His dastardly plan to blackmail her father, King Roland, into giving up his planet’s air to replenish the polluted Planet Spaceball, run by the fiendish President Skroob (to be voiced by Brooks). Princess Vespa’s dad hires Lone Starr and Barf to rescue the princess. After a battle with Dark Helmet, they rescue the princess and Planet Druidia. From there, they launch on a series of wild adventures across the Galaxy.
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.
