News Broadcasting
‘Balle-Balle’ claims top slot amongst Punjabi channels
MUMBAI: It has balle-balle’d’ its way to top, or so it claims. India’s first 24-hour non-stop Punjabi music channel- Balle-Balle, launched on 14 October 2002, claims to be the market leader amongst the Punjabi channels.
With it’s reach soaring from 1,00,000 households to one million cable and satellite (C&S) households, 4 + target group, for week 7 March 04 to 13 March 2004, the channel is said to be attracting 34 per cent of the total Punjabi eye balls.
Quoting Tam ratings data, the channel claims that it is, in fact, the most watched channel. With its 33 per cent share, the erstwhile numero uno channel ETC Punjabi is now placed at number two, albeit in a segment of the market
While MH1 is in the third place with 18 per cent of the total share, Alpha Punjabi comes fourth with 15 per cent.
According to the ratings data, Balle-Balle’s reach averages 0.3 TVR in C&S TG 4+ with 2.14 shares. It has garnered 0.29 TVR in TG 15+ C&S homes. The channel claims that in the total market universe group, Balle-Balle has a 1.97 and 1.66 per cent share in TG 4+ and 15 + respectively.
WKFR:11;WKTO:11;YEARFR:2004;YEARTO:2004;DATEFR:07/03/2004;
DATETO:13/03/2004
11:CHANNEL SHARES BY DAYPART / TARGE Target Group
TG_1 TG_2
CS 4+ YRS CS 15+ YRS
Channel TVR Share TVR Share
*PHCHP 1 MN.+ (FROM Universe
Alpha Punjabi 0.28 2.01 0.29 2.08
Balle Balle 0.3 2.14 0.29 2.07
ETC Punjabi 0.5 3.58 0.45 3.23
MH1 0.29 2.09 0.29 2.09
*PHCHP .1 TO 1MN. (F Universe
Alpha Punjabi 0.12 0.85 0.15 1.04
Balle Balle 0.27 1.92 0.23 1.55
ETC Punjabi 0.26 1.88 0.27 1.87
MH1 0.14 0.97 0.15 1.04
TOTAL MARKET Universe
Alpha Punjabi 0.15 1.11 0.18 1.26
Balle Balle 0.27 1.97 0.24 1.66
ETC Punjabi 0.31 2.25 0.31 2.16
MH1 0.17 1.21 0.18 1.26
Interestingly, while Balle-Balle had bagged 1.66 of the total universe shares, ETC Punjabi has 2.16 of channel shares.
While the channel might tout that it is on its way up, what remains to be seen is if it is able to sustains the growth spurt.
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.
