News Broadcasting
Ballots without breaks Zee 24 Taas readies 72-hour election marathon
MUMBAI: When ballots meet the clock, Zee 24 Taas plans to stay awake. As municipal elections roll out across Maharashtra, the Marathi news channel is gearing up for what it calls its most exhaustive poll exercise yet, a 72-hour, non-stop broadcast powered by 72 reporters stationed across the state.
Under the banner 72 Hours | 72 Reporters | Non-Stop Coverage, Zee 24 Taas will deliver uninterrupted, ground-level reporting from polling booths, counting centres and political nerve centres. The coverage is designed to run seamlessly through voting day, counting and emerging trends, offering viewers real-time updates without pause at every critical turn of the election process.
The initiative caps weeks of campaign-led programming that has seen political heavyweights, decision-makers and analysts cycle through the channel’s studios. For the final stretch, Zee 24 Taas is bringing together its senior editorial voices, trusted panelists and data-backed analysis to go beyond headline numbers and unpack what each development signals on the ground.
Explaining the editorial intent, Zee 24 Taas editor Kamlesh Sutar said the focus is on presence and perspective. With reporters deployed across Maharashtra for the full 72 hours, the aim is to capture local voices, verify developments as they happen and give audiences context alongside speed, rather than treating results as a standalone scoreboard.
In a crowded election news cycle, the channel is betting on scale and stamina. By committing people, time and airtime in equal measure, Zee 24 Taas is positioning its coverage as a continuous civic record, one that follows the vote from first inked finger to final count, without blinking.
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.
