News Broadcasting
BAG Films’ afternooner on Star Plus shoots up on ratings
MUMBAI: Move over Balaji Telefilms, here comes BAG Films. The production house’s soap Kumkum – Pyara Sa Bandhan which airs on Star Plus at 1 pm is taking afternoon viewership to new heights as it is slowly but steadily making its presence felt in the ratings game.
The serial has climbed into the Top 20 serials behind only the big daddies of soaps like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kasautii Zindagii Kay (all from the Balaji stable).
In the Hindi speaking C&S 4+ segment Kumkum notched all time high TRPs of 13.1 and that of 18.9 in the C&S Females 15+ segment on 22 March. The serial’s viewership has been climbing bit by bit since some time now. Star India senior vice president, content and communications Deepak Segal said, “Kumkum has been the No 1 afternoon soap for some time now, in fact overtaking some of the prime time shows on competition. The protagonist, Kumkum, has appealed to viewers from the very first episode. The storyline, the look of the show, the stars, everything makes the show a complete viewing experience. In fact Kumkum-Sumeet pairing has become very popular among the masses. There has never been a dull moment in the storytelling, which keeps the viewers wanting more. The recent introduction of Aman Verma (as Abhay) is yet another big attraction to the story of Kumkum.”
Kumkum takes afternoon viewership to new heights
Kumkum has been gaining more eyeballs in the last few weeks than ever before. In the week starting 21 March, the serial was firmly perched at the 13th spot with a TRP of 9.2 in the C&S 4+ market as compared to the previous week’s 19th as per the TAM data. Says Segal, “The soap began as the story of the young and lovable bahu of the Wadhwa family. The relationship of the protagonists has gone through a whole lot of changes, all of which were very appealing and real. The show is constantly adding new tracks and storylines to keep the viewer attention.”
Kumkum’s female audience increasing by leaps and bounds
Kumkum which airs from Monday to Thursday and has rightly managed to grab female attention thus providing a huge female audience in the afternoon band.
Kumkum – The Kyunki of afternoons
Touted as the Kyunki… of the afternoon, Kumkum touched an all time high TVR of 13.12 (C&S 4+) on 25 March leaving behind Sony’s Kkusum and for that matter even Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi. Kkusum got an average TVR of 4.8 during the same week and Jassi… managed 4.9, while Kumkum stood tall with a TVR of 12.6. Well, there seems to be a lot happening in the serial. “The story is yet to reach a climax and hence there’s a lot more excitement and high drama coming up soon,” promises Segal. While BAG Film’s new show Koie Jane Naa which launched on Star Plus in March hasn’t yet figured among the Top 100. Says Segal, “The show is in a new slot. Sunday evenings are generally for films and Bollywood events and viewers just come and go. For a supernatural soap like Koie Jane Na it will take some time to establish the slot.” Fingers surely crossed!
Star Plus afternoons delivers more ratings than Sony & Zee Mon-Thurs primetime ratings combined together!
It is no secret that Star Plus has been ruling the roost of the general entertainment channels since the last three years, and hence it comes as no surprise that the channels’ afternoon slot alone garners more TRPs than Sony and Zee’s Monday to Thursday primetime ratings combined together! Where on one hand, Sony’s average ratings in 2004 has been 2.4 in the prime time slot (8 – 11 pm), Zee’s average ratings have been a mere one in the same slot. Star Plus on the other hand, boasts of an average rating of 5.6 and that too in the afternoon band of 12.30 – 3.30 pm.
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.
