News Broadcasting
Contemporariness, vibrancy Max’s revamp mantra
MUMBAI: It is not just Sony Entertainment Television India’s flagship SET that is gearing up for a new look and feel come 24 October. Sibling movies and special events channel Max is also about to undergo a complete revamp in terms of channel design and packaging.
The new channel packaging and design has been done by US based design boutique Mocean, reveals SET India CFO and Max business head NP Singh.
The new on-air packaging will provide viewers with an enhanced viewing experience via a more contemporary, engaging, stylish and progressive look. Max will now have three key genre ids for movies, special events, and cricket. Apart from this, the packaging for key Max properties like Maha Movie, Mera Movie and Super Cinema has also been refreshed. The music score of the channel too will change and will be more vitalising and contemporary, Singh offers.
The refreshed channel packaging will retain the colours of warm golds for movies and blues for special events including cricket. The music tracks for the individual elements have been redesigned to reinforce the scale and appeal of Maha Movie, Mera Movie and Super Cinema.
The end pages for promo packaging have also been enhanced, with a stronger Max smiley to focus on tune-in information such as key day-date-time details on airing schedules of each program.
However, there will be no change in the logo or the inherent values of the channel so as to give the viewers a smooth transition. Hence, key elements like genre colours and the use of silhouettes have been retained for the same.
The last time the channel underwent a revamp was in January 2002 and it was well received. MAX would be hoping for a similar response this time round as well.
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.
