News Broadcasting
Clash of the Titans
Sony, on the other hand, is all geared up to strike a chord with family viewers through Indian Idol Junior (IIJ), which will be running for 14 weeks. Title sponsor being Nissan Micra and powered by Horlicks, this new kids singing reality show has Real Fruit, 99acres.com, Kellog’s Oats and Alpenliebe as other associate sponsors. According to the channel, over 6,000 promos spots have been played for IIJ.
“IIJ has one thing going for it,” says a media observer. “It is commencing at 8:30 pm, half an hour before the rest. This could well work in its favour in terms of it getting viewers tuning into it Whether it will manage to make them sticky will depend on the show’s content.”
Indian Idol Junior judges Shekhar, Shreya & Vishal will be innovating while dealing with kids on the show
That is a legacy story, says Sony Entertainment Television (SET) marketing head Gaurav Seth. But what sets IIJ apart from the rest is its brand positioning, he adds. He further elaborates: “It is a brand extension of the very popular Indian Idol format on SET. We believe children have a lot of potential and talent on offer and hence, we wanted to explore this segment and showcase it to pan Indian audiences. We conducted a massive nationwide hunt to search for these kids through our eminent judges and we believe our viewers are going to be stunned with the talent on display through the rounds. Kids have a lot to offer in terms of their innocent, spontaneous and completely endearing actions which makes for compelling television viewing.”
Sony’s Seth has marketing for Indian Idol Junior covered from all angles
Launching an extensive campaign revolving around kids, Sony is comprehensively promoting the newest branch of its much loved franchise. Seth explains: “We have executed a huge national communication roll-out to inform TV viewers across India about the show and what to expect. This has been across all major media platforms and has succeeded in building immense recall for the show prior to launch. As it progresses, we believe that the talent on display will continue to attract loyal viewers interested in following the fortunes of their favourite contestants.”
Sony plans to sustain viewer interest through city concerts, activation and celebrity episodes designed to keep highlighting the high-points in the show throughout the current season. Says Seth: “It has been one of the most popular talent shows on television and we hope to keep the success of its past editions alive with this new and fresher avatar. Indian Idol is a profit maker and the latest offering has received a favorable response from our advertising partners.”
Zee TV is counting on its all new concept of DID Super Moms derived from one of its most successful properties – Dance India Dance (DID) to do the trick for it. For the first time, mothers, who always have been seen supporting their children in DID, take center-stage in this unique dance reality show focused on moms.
DID Super Moms team are looking at replicating DID’s success
Zeel marketing head Akash Chawla asserts: “With DID Super Moms we wanted to capture the emotions of the audiences where a mother is a very important part of our lives and she always played a crucial role in our success. Our communication revolved around the fact that now it’s time for mothers to be in the spot light and we should cheer them and support them helps them to fulfill her dreams.”
Coming back to JDJ, one of the innovative strategies launched by Colors exclusively for the show is a promotional tie-up with YRF’s upcoming Ranbir Kapoor- Deppika Padukone starrer Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. “We will be running JDJ promos during YJHD. We have targeted 900+ screens in over 40 cities. While in terms of amplifying the campaign with the help of cable TV, we have planned a 10 Day activity in 130 cities and have bought over 1,000 spots,” adds Rajesh Iyer.
Movie promotions are what IIJ will be banking on too to rope in celebrities and also heighten viewer engagement. Seth reveals: “There will be movie integrations at a later stage once gala rounds begin. We will also form strategic tie-ups with news channels to promote content and/or activation and concerts.”
Season six of JDJ is being lauded for its aesthetically beautiful promos directed by Colors’ in-house team led by Monica Nair. JDJ is being heavily promoted on the channel with promos not only seen during the ad breaks but within shows as well. “In order to increase the recall value of the viewers, we’re trying this different mode of in-show promotion wherein we show a JDJ promo even before the advertisement break – between the show and the coming – up of the next segment,” asserts Iyer.
Creatives
Colors- Marching Ants
Sony- Leo Burnett
Zee TV- Draft FCB Ulka
Sony’s IIJ also has commendable creatives designed by Leo Burnett, with a strong positioning- Gaanon ka wohi jaadu ab bachchon ki awaaz mein. The promos, directed by the creative team at SET along with Fremantle Media, depicting young kids singing old classics have become quite popular. It has been an immensely clutter breaking campaign on all media especially TV with the spots getting high salience and recall,” says Seth.
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.
