News Broadcasting
Sahara ‘Karishma’s’ next hearing scheduled for 16 June
MUMBAI: And the fight continues. The latest on the copyright infringement case brought against Sahara’s blockbuster soap Karishma – The Miracles of Destiny: American novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford has submitted her case of alleged infringement of copyright before the Kolkata High Court.
According to the Press Trust of India, Bradford’s counsel PC Sen submitted the petition with regard to Patent Act, Designs Act and TradeMark Act before Justice MHS Ansari yesterday. Meanwhile, Justice Ansari has scheduled the next hearing of the case for Monday 16 June.
As for the ‘biggest television series ever’, which had a massive promotional campaign comprising heavy outdoor presence, including painted local trains in Mumbai to bring it in, the telecast has been put on hold after the first episode of the series aired on 12 May show.
According to the media reports, during an interview to film magazine Cine Blitz, the serial’s creative director Akashdeep Sabeer had said the serial was inspired by the novel A Woman of Substance. After this news reached Bradford’s office, she moved to the Kolkata High Court on 7 May and obtained a stay on further telecast. Sahara then moved the Division Bench of the High Court and vacated the stay. The first episode was then aired on 12 June. On the same evening, the American author moved the Supreme Court, which reinstated the stay. On 22 May, the Supreme Court sent back the case to the single Bench of the Kolkata High Court.
In the middle of all this, yet another media report that appeared in a daily The Asian Age states that a summons was issued by metropolitan magistrate RD Gate against Bradford and journalist Pammi Somal (It was her article that appeared in Cine Blitz). The summons was issued in lieu of a criminal complaint of defamation filed by the Karishma’s writer Sachin Bhaumick, who was accused of taking up the story idea. Bhaumick has apparently stated in his complaint to the Mumbai police that Bradford had created a drama out of sheer malice to extract money and that the script was written on his exclusive creation – a story titled Aparajita. According to him, even after the matterwas sub-judice both Bradford as well as Somal were making blatant statements about alleged theft that were defamatory. Since he has been, thus far, a novelist of repute, his reputation was at stake. The defamatory statements had lowered his image in the eyes of public.
At present news is rife in media circuits that the issue will be resolved sooner rather than later.
Whether the issue will be solved on Monday, or Karishma … will go Zee’s Kanhaiyya way, we’ll just have to wait and watch.
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.
