News Broadcasting
CNN launches ‘The Screening Room’
MUMBAI: CNN will launch a new show The Screening Room. This is a monthly half-hour film show, hosted by British television personality Myleene Klass. The first edition of the show airs on 31 March at 1 pm and at 7 pm.
On the set, on the carpet and on location, The Screening Room takes the audience through the stages of film-making from production to premiere. A cast of the world’s best actors, directors, cinematographers, writers, composers and animators demonstrate each month what goes into making a masterpiece.
Opening the series, Klass explores the age-old question – major movie house or independent film? On the one hand, a multi-million dollar budget with directorial handcuffs; on the other, creative freedom limited only by concerns over cash. ‘The Screening Room’ tested the water at this year’s first major film festivals, Sundance and Berlin, and found the boundaries are becoming blurred.
Also in this opening show, CNN’s Femi Oke reports from Africa, the focus of much recent Oscar attention and glory, thanks to ‘Blood Diamond’ and ‘The Last King of Scotland’ which shone the spotlight on the continent. After the last Oscar is handed out and the Versace and Valentino returned to the closets of Hollywood’s elite, what remains for Africa beyond Forrest Whitakers’ arresting acceptance speech?
The Screening Room concludes in March by turning the clock back by two and a half thousand years. The rich history of the ancient Greeks has provided Hollywood studios with an even richer box office bonanza through their blockbusters ‘Alexander’ and ‘Troy’. Now they’re at it again with ‘300′, a story of Spartan soldiers who battled a large Persian army, and which is already on track to being the most successful March movie release at the box office in history. Myleene meets the finest of the ‘300′ at the film’s sparkling London premiere.
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.
