News Broadcasting
Balaji’s latest gives DD audiences a big thrill
MUMBAI: The good times continue to roll for Balaji. The soap factory’s latest show on pubcaster Doordarshan, Kyamaat – Jab bhi waqt aata hai, has started off on a great note and continues to maintain its position in the third week.
On the day of its launch the show ranked number two, with rating 9.7 TVR, next to DD’s top runner – the supernatural thriller Aap Beti, which continues as DD’s top show, with 12 TVR’s.
Kyamaat , the show about love, deceit and revenge debut on 19 December 2003 on DD1.
Conceptualised by Ekta Kapoor, the new show, airing on Fridays and Saturdays at 9 pm, has Ali Hasan, Amita Chanekar, Kishwar, Neelam Mehra, Lily Patel and Ashish in its main cast.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, the show’s creative director Sandiip Sikcand said, “The show had to do well. We never cut corners in the production. Although it is shown on the national broadcaster, the treatment was like a satellite show, complete with gloss and glamour”
The freelance creative director, who is also looking at the creative aspects of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, offered that the script is ready for 22 episodes and that DD had commissioned Balaji to do the show for a year to begin with..
The actors roped in are Balaji’s actors and therefore the connect with the audience was instant. But the major plus of the story according to Sikcand is the story flow. “It is a thriller saga and right from the first episode we have introduced the thrill element. Despite it being the first episode, the pace of the show wasn’t slack and we intend to keep it pacy.”
“We will be introducing a lot of tracks, besides the main one between the three protagonists. One interesting track has to do with an evil spirit and another one is about skeletons from the past,” he offered.
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.
