News Broadcasting
Star News goes for complete makeover, dons a new garb
MUMBAI: After Aaj Tak, it’s Star News’ turn to don a new ‘avtaar’. Come 3 February, and the latter will see a complete makeover in terms of look, feel and presentation. The idea being to evolve as a brand after one and a half year of existence.
Bright colours, sharper edges and a slightly modified signature tune will mark the new look Star News. While, the contemporary channel identity has already been on air for a few days now, the entire makeover will come into effect from tomorrow evening (3 February).
The idea to undergo a makeover was not because there was something lacking in the old look, but it was more of an evolution process. Star News will make optimum use of the screen with new formats and better information delivery mechanisms, a company official says. The make-over brings together programmes from its 24-hour Hindi news and current affairs line-up under a single brand.
BBC’s design arm BBC Broadcast Design (currently up for sale as part of a far-reaching review of the corporation’s activities) was instrumental in providing the new look. Speaking on the same to indiantelevision.com, Star News brand director Keertan Adyanthaya says, “It’s been one and a half years since we launched and we felt there was a need to refresh ourselves and our offerings. The viewers have evolved and so has the information delivery system and we felt the need of undergoing a change.
Adyanthaya informs that Star News’ new channel identity has been created to convey the message that Star collects information from all possible avenues and collates before finally presenting it to the viewer. Red, blue, purple and yellow ‘stars’ have been used which finally merge together to form the Star News logo, thus conveying the same.
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.
