News Broadcasting
Third Playwin draw throws up 139 big winners
Show them the money. That is precisely what Zee group-promoted Playwin Infravest is doing. A total of Rs 60.15 million was handed out in the third draw held on 11 April.
And to make sure that the message gets through, Zee is telecasting Playwin’s results live on Zee TV, Alpha Bangla, Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Network channels – the Tamil language Sun TV and Kannada language Udaya – as well as Malayalam language channel Asianet between 9 and 9:30 pm.
The third draw fetched Rs 391,638 each for 139 players (“lakhpatis”) whose five numbers matched the drawn numbers. The draw, announced during the new Zee show Khelo Number Khelo saw the rolling down of the Rs 50 million jackpot, in the absence of a jackpot winner. Over 100,000 players won cash prizes for getting four and three matching numbers. The other winners included 6,173 people who had four matching numbers with Rs 370 each and 97,146 winners with three numbers matching Rs 50 each.
According to Playwin officials, the week’s draw logged in five million bets in six days compared to four million bets in the last week. The draw, announced initially during the celebrity talk show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, has now shifted to Khelo Number Khelo, a game show hosted by Archana Puran Singh on Thursday evenings.
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.
