News Broadcasting
Zee Sports comes out with cricket show ’22 Yards’
MUMBAI: Zee Sports has come out with a cricket show 22 Yards which has various segments.
22 Yards airs thrice a week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9 pm. An overall theme is selected for the week. Then there are three different shows based on that theme. The shows are a magazine show, a panel discussion / one to one interview and an archive show. The themes for the first two weeks are Sachin Tendulkar and The Glamour Boys of Cricket.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Zee Sports VP marketing Gaurav Seth says, “Today Indian fans who are passionate about the bat and ball game want to go beyond just watching live matches. They are becoming more interested in issues around the game.
“If you look at newspapers you will see pages on cricket even when the Indian team is not playing. Stories on Dalmiya, Ganguly, John Wright’s new book capture the public’s attention. Hence we felt that it was a good idea to come out with a variety show that will appeal to everybody from the connoisseur to the armchair enthusiast.”
The magazine show is based around a short interview and various packages / vignettes that deal with the weeks happenings in the cricketing world. For example the Pinch Hitters segment looks at the players in the news. The Boardroom looks at the news from crickets governing bodies.
The second show every week is an in-depth look at the week’s theme. This could be in the form of a one to one interview or a panel discussion depending on the week’s theme. The channel started by doing an interview with the Indian cricket team’s physiotherapist Andrew Leipus.
The channel has also done a panel discussion on glamour and advertising in cricket featuring Kapil Dev, Lathika Khaneja and Sharada Ugra.
The 22 Yards archive show is positioned as being quite literally a blast from the past. Here the channel dwells into the archives and feature a performance by a cricketer that best integrates with the theme for the week. For Sachin Tendulkar week the channel had showcased his first Test century.
For the upcoming Glamour Boys week the channel will be featuring one of Ian Botham’s match winning performances in Bothams Test. Another theme that the channel is looking at is the upcoming tri series involving India, Australia and the West Indies in September. India has not played Australia for two years. So the anticipation is high.
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.
