News Broadcasting
AXN looks at paranormal phenomenon with ‘Supernatural’
MUMBAI: The action oriented AXN will be a new show Supernatural. It will air every Thursday from 3 August at 11 pm
The show blends action, drama, mystery with a dash of science-fiction. Supernatural is a tale of two brothers, bound by destiny and disaster to battle the evil forces of the paranormal. Poles apart, the Winchester brothers are compelled to travel all around the country to hunt out the eerie creatures of urban legends and folklore that you thought were all just made-up.
When their mother, Mary, was taken from the family 20 years ago by unseen evil forces, the brothers’ father John embarked on a mission against the supernatural to avenge his wife’s death. Bringing the two young boys with him on his strange missions, John brought them up to hunt and fight the unexplained – whether they wanted to or not.
Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) is the younger brother – the “normal” one. A law student trying to escape the eccentric lifestyle his father mapped out, Sam gladly traded his ghost-hunting for college and a perfect girlfriend, and hasn’t seen his brother Dean (Jensen Ackles) for 4 years. When the latter turns up suddenly on Sam’s doorstep with the news that their father has vanished, he has little choice but to join Dean in a search for their father.
Supernatural is about fate, family and the choices we make – taking viewers into the dark and twisted world of phantom-hunting. In between the undercurrents of rivalry, the estranged brothers learn more about themselves and their family, and face up to a journey in which anything can happen – and does.
The younger Winchester brother, Sam never fully understood the path his father and brother have taken, and consequently has tried to separate himself from them by leaving for college straight from high school. With an affectionate and caring girlfriend and a potential law career, Sam almost has the perfect life he yearns for, until his estranged older brother turns up at his door with news that their father has disappeared.
Despite the dislike for his family’s strange lifestyle, Sam is obliged to leave his peaceful life, and return to his tumultuous destiny in a search for his missing father. Armed with heavy reluctance and grounded practicality, Sam is thrown into the sinister world he tried so hard to avoid – and while chasing bogeymen, phantom legends and angry child spirits, comes to relearn more about his brother and himself, and begins to accept the fate and father he rejected.
Worlds apart from his brother Sam, Dean has taken his father’s mission on himself – pursuing all things supernatural and evil. Arrogant, brash and impulsive, the older Winchester brother’s fearlessness and indifference to the law in the face of his quest belie the emotional scars his mother’s death left on him, as well as an unexpected softer side.
Dean is older and thus remembers more of his mother’s death, and understands why his father was driven obsessively to avenge himself on the paranormal. This bad-boy carries his fierce aggression into his work, and is wild enough to do just about anything, especially taking on the terrifying path he has chosen for himself. His father’s sudden vanishing however leaves him unsettled, and forces him to come out of his strange life to reunite with his younger brother for a quest unlike any they have ever experienced before.
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.
