News Broadcasting
Tara Newz gets on the road with Tara Kolkata Drive
MUMBAI: The brand new channel from Broadcast Worldwide Tara Newz, in association with the Bengal Motor Sports Club, is organising the Tara Kolkata Drive motor rally to commemorate 100 years of motor rallying in India. The channel will telecast the rally live on 24 April.
The rally will run in one leg on the Time-Speed-Distance [TSD] format. It will start and end at Kolkata Press Club, Maidan. The flag off will be at 8 am and will traverse a 100-km route across the city and its outskirts and touch upon many historical sites in the city.
There will be ground events like popular musical bands at important crossroads like Shyambazar, Rash Behari, City Centre Salt Lake, Jodhpur Park and back at the Press Club, Maidan. Orient Express will perform at the Press Club to entertain the participants while the points are being tallied. There will be a Music Express at Rash Behari Avenue crossing and Jodhpur Park. There will be quizzes on Kolkata landmarks and cars. Spectators can follow the cars to unscramble anagrams and win cash prizes worth Rs.1000, says an official release.
The event is being supported by Seagram, Castrol, Titas footwear, Coca Cola, 6 Ballygunge Place, Monginis, Havell�, and Red FM asli masti.
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.
