News Broadcasting
‘Sansani’ completes 100 episodes
MUMBAI: Sansani, the daily crime show on Star News has completed 100 episodes. The channel claims to have redefined primetime news on Indian television. The crime show was designed to address the safety and security of the public by and large.
In a statement issued, Star News captured 27 per cent of market share leaving behind the conventional crime shows. Star News CEO and editor Uday Shankar says, “Sansani was an attempt to make news more real and bring in real people and real concerns at primetime and move away from news that was dominated by hackneyed statements, phony concerns and false people. Today we are proud to say that Sansani has succeeded on all these parameters.
“Along the way we are proud to have set new benchmarks. We feel that we have been able to contribute towards making our viewers’ neighbourhood a better and safer place to live in, a fact which gives us deep satisfaction as we roll out the 100th episode,” he added.
As per the TAM data provided by the channel, Sansani gets over 100 per cent growth in viewership on it’s time slot. It’s 27 per cent average market share post launch is above all crime shows that beam across all channels. Aaj Tak’s Vardaat and Zee News’ Crime Reporter with a 23 per cent market share are a distant joint second while NDTV India’s Dial 100 comes fourth at a17 per cent market share. (TG: CS 15+; Market: Hindi Speaking Markets; Period: TAM week 48 ’04 – week 13 ’05).
BAG Films, managing director Anuradha Prasad emphasises, “Sansani is an attempt to make news more real and bring in real people and real concerns.”
Star News also airs Red Alert, Sansani, provides daily account of the latest news from the world of crime, a valuable tip on crime prevention and a section on the ‘most wanted’. The programme recreates the actual scene of crime vividly, wherever needed, to give the viewing audience a real sense of the crime scene.
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.
