News Broadcasting
Channels line up special shows this Republic Day
MUMBAI: This Republic Day too, it is not different. To bring the nation their best mix of patriotism and entertainment, channels are trying everything possible. Lined up across the television space are a slew of special programmes. A look at what channels are doing to celebrate 26 January.
Kiddy channel Cartoon Network’s Megatoon Movie will celebrate Republic Day on 26 January by featuring back-to-back animated movies through the day beginning 9 am. Premiering at 12 pm on the Republic Day will be the movie Quest For Camelot which portrays the glorious deeds of brave knights living in the countryside. The Network will also conduct on-air contest while airing Quest for Camelot. Further, the Network will also air Tom & Jerry – The Movie, the New Scooby Doo Movies and The Batman movies on the Republic Day.
Hungama will telecast children’s Hindi movie Jajantaram Mamantaram on at 5 pm. On the special occasion, the channel will also announce a mega prize for its ongoing Kids Ka Kamaal contest. The luckiest of the lot will win a diamond set by watching the mega movie. Jajantaram Mamantaram famously known as J2M2 has 63 minutes of special effects, which have, been tried for the first time in India, the record for the longest special effects is 67 minutes, this is sure to keep everyone on the edge of their seat. Directed by Soumitra Ranade, J2M2 is based on the old Gujarati fable ‘ Bakasur’ which tells about a sleeping giant who only gets up to eat small people.
Walt Disneys classic storytelling heritage comes alive on Disney Channel with the telecast of one of worlds best loved animated features The Jungle Book on 26 January at 7 pm. The feature will be telecast as a part of Disney channels daily feature film destination, Disney Channel Movies.
Nick will showcase a special show Jimmy Neutron: Rescue Jet Fusion at 9 am with a repeat at 5 pm. In the show, Jimmy is enlisted as a spy by the Big Top Secret Organization. His mission is to find and rescue Agent X. When Agent X turns out to be Jimmy’s movie hero, Jet Fusion (and a super spy off the big screen as well), Jimmy and Jet team up to save the world from the nefarious Professor Calamitous and his beautiful, gorgeous daughter, Beautiful Gorgeous.
Star’s movie channel Star Gold commemorates the eventful day with a whole week devoted to showing patriotic movies from 24 January to 28 January in the Ek Baje Ek Break (movies with just one break!) slot called, Swades Special. In this special slot, on the Republic Day, the channel will showcase Ajay Devgan – Abhishek Bachchan starrer Zameen.
English movie channel HBO is telecasting Maid in Manhattan at 4:00 pm, Assassins at 6:15 pm and The Glass House at 9 pm.
Sahara One will telecast Amitabh starrer Dev at 8:30 pm on 26 January. Movies from the Zee stable include the patriotic saga LOC at 2 pm on Zee TV and Bombay in Zee Cinema at 7:30 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.
