News Broadcasting
Channels to end year with film fare
MUMBAI: For those destined to spend New Year’s eve at home in front of the telly, mainstream channels have readied a line up of filmi fare. Prime Bollywood acquisitions figure high on the agenda, as does the usual song-n-dance routine.
Soap stars to reign supreme on Star
Star Plus and Balaji Entertainment have chalked out a starry New Year’s Eve Special for their viewers . Hosted by popular actor Aman Verma, the special will showcase stars of superhit soaps-Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi in an atmosphere full of fun and frolic. For the first time ever -Tulsi, Parvati, Prerna, Shaina, Pallavi, Ramola, Komolika, Mihir, Om, Anurag, Kunal (characters from various Balaji serials) will come together under one roof, to ring in the New Year, states an official release. The special will air on 31 December at 11 pm.
Star Gold, the Hindi movie channel that recently revamped its programming strategy by airing Hollywood Blockbusters dubbed in Hindi, will herald 2003 with the dubbed version of the millennium blockbuster Titanic. which will be aired on 31 December at 7:00 PM
For all the ‘James Bond’ fans, Star Movies will unfurl some interesting Bond documentaries like Now Pay Attention 007 at 7:00 pm and Top Ten Bond films at 8:00 pm.The World Is Not Enough will premiere at 9:00 pm and Bond girls forever, at 11:00 pm on 31 December, with a repeat at midnight.
Star World will celebrate the new year by showing two specials -VHI Divas Live and American Bandstand: 50th Anniversary Celebration. While the former is slated to be one of the most memorable musical events with Divas from all genres such as Celine Dion, Cher, Sakira, The Dixie Chicks performing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, followed by spectacular performances from Anastacia and Stevie Nicks, the latter will include live performances and exclusive clips that salute the legendary music show’s ground breaking contributions to popular music history. There will be live performances by superstars like Micheal Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Alanis Morrisseltte, Kiss, Cher and more.
‘Come to the Party’ hosted by Sony
While Star Plus’ New Year Special centers around the television artists alone, Sony has included popular Bollywood stars as well. The channel’s recently unveiled year-end theme, ‘Come to the Party’, will beckon the New Year with three hours of film and music based shows on two consecutive days starting 29 December. The New Year Special includes Bollywood Ke Superstars, featuring stars like Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Sonali Kulkarni, Preeti Jhangiani and Kashmira Shah. The show airs 8:00 pm on 29 December. The Band of Boys, Meet Brothers, Vinod Rathod and Jaspinder Narula will perform while Saif will engage in some candid conversation with Simone ‘Heena’ Singh. The event will be hosted by Suchitra Krishnamurthy.
On 30 December, the channel will show a special edition of Boogie Woogie Jalwa, set in an Hawaaian backdrop and interspersed with big names from the world of Indi pop – Daler Mehndi, Kamal Khan, Sukhwinder, Sunidhi Chauhan and Mahalakshmi along with film personalities Pooja Batra, Rani Rajlaxmi, Ganesh Acharya to name a few. Artistes from the hit soaps on the channel including Kkusum, Kutumb and Meri Biwi Wonderful will also be making an appearance on the show, states an official release.
Finally ,New Year’s eve will showcase Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, the channel’s second biggest acquisition this year after Lagaan. It will premiere on 31 December at 8 pm.
The film will be introduced in a unique manner with the film’s stars talking about their special experiences during the making of the film.
While Zee TV is yet to go public with its plans for the year end, Zee Cinema will air Gadar Ek Prem Katha at 8 pm. The blockbuster, aired earlier on Zee on 15 August, had helped the channel top the ratings stakes for the week.
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.
