News Broadcasting
CBS finds controversial ‘Reagan’ miniseries too hot to handle
MUMBAI: A true story about former president Ronald Reagan and his family generated a storm of criticism from the conservative majority in the US.
Such was the ferocious velocity that CBS was forced to drop plans to air the same. Instead the US broadcaster has decided to air reruns of shows.
The miniseries was supposed to air on 16 and 18 November. The conservatives argued that the show distorted Regan’s character and achievements. Reports indicate that CBS will have reruns of CSI: Miami and Without a Trace.
Making matters worse is the fact that one of the reruns will face off against the American Music Awards. The Reagans has been moved to pay cable channel Showtime. It has about a fifth of CBS’ audience. An air date is yet to be announced.
One can argue that the news is not good. The film was not yet in public domain and this could start an unhealthy trend where a network cancels a show which could bring in the ratings because those that control the ad dollars are unhappy.
However it is not just CBS that was the target of a skillfully crafted hate campaign. Indiantelevision.com has regularly been receiving hate mails directed at Hallmark. In August we had run a story about Hallmark’s plans to bring four new miniseries to Mipcom 2003. One of them was The Reagans. One comment from the US read, “You should be ashamed distributing First Family: The Reagans. Why smear and distort a great living American icon when they can’t defend themselves? We will boycott Hallmark stores.”
Another comment went like this. “Hallmark Entertainment has produced a portrait of president and his wife that is totally fallacious and a Left Wing hatchet job to discredit one of our greatest presidents… one who is near death and cannot defend himself. I strongly urge any overseas purchaser of this distribution to turn your back on it. Joel Denton should be ashamed of his pandering in distributing this outrageous piece of slander.”
Of course now that CBS has dropped the miniseries the mails have stopped.
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.
