News Broadcasting
TV commentator Siddhu joins BJP
NEW DELHI: After India’s finance minister unleashed the sop opera in the run-up to the general elections, now comes the soap opera.
Not content with film actors and television stars joining the party, the king of one-liners, former cricketer and TV commentator Navojot Singh Siddhu, is the latest arsenal in the war-chest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is seeking another term at the Centre during the elections.
With BJP’s ace strategist Pramod Mahajan, another one very good with one-liners, beside him, Siddhu today announced his decision to join politics and immediately let go of some bouncers.
”A true leader like Atal is one who turns weakness into strength and obstacles into opportunities,” Siddhu quipped today when asked to describe the leadership of Prime Minister Atal B. Vajpayee.
According to United News of India (UNI), Siddhu went on to praise the ideology of the BJP and the leadership of Vajpayee as “Kushboo to hawa ke sath jati hai, lekin insani khusboo har disha mein jati hai (fragrance goes in the wind’s direction but human fragrance spreads in all directions).”
Siddhu equated BJP as a party like a rock. ”BJP chattan ki taraah Atal hai,” he mouthed, while expressing regard and respect towards the leadership of the BJP, UNI reports.
Siddhu is part of the cricket commentary team of Ten Sports that would go to Pakistan for the forthcoming Indo-Pak cricket series.
Meanwhile, small time TV and film actor Gajendra Chauhan — his claim to fame is playing Yudhistir in Doordarshan’s famous Mahabharata serial in the late 1980s and early 1990s — too has decided to join the political fray and the BJP. Film star Suresh Oberoi has already announced his decision to join the BJP.
Not to be left behind, the Congress Party is also contemplating roping in some TV and film stars like Raza Murad and Govinda. The Delhi unit of the Congress has even suggested to the party leadership that it should consider cricket legend and occasional TV show host, Kapil Dev, as a potential candidate for a Lower House seat in the forthcoming elections.
In the coming days, there would be many more film and TV artistes who are likely to join some political parties.
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.
