News Broadcasting
DD set to woo women with ‘Kaamnaa’- a tale of two sisters
MUMBAI: Although the top show on the channel is a supernatural thriller Aap Beeti, DD seems to be slowly warming up to women centric shows. Just months after launching a slew of shows, each with a strong female protagonist, the pubcaster is all set to launch Kaamnaa on 22 April 2004.
A weekly serial, Kaamnaa will air every Thursday on the National Network on DD 1.
Produced by Puneet Mehta and Anita Jain, and directed by Satish J Kaushik, the show stars Neha Sharad, Vaishanavi, Parikshit Sahani, Aarushi, Hemant Chaudhary and Tarun Shukla.
A family soap opera, Kaamnaa is a story about two married sisters, Madhavee and Gayatree, who are like chalk and cheese. Each has a different set of values. While younger sister Gayatree stays in a joint family with her children- a teenage son Gopi and two daughters Simran and Muskaan- a husband, a mother-in-law and a brother-in-law. Being an ideal housewife, she respects family values, and gives due respect to all her relations. All that she desires is to lead a peaceful family life but often faces problems.
Whereas, Madhavee, the elder sister has different set of values to lead her life. An ambitious go-getter, she is a career woman, who want to be recognised in the field of drama and high society. She lives separated from her husband Bhasker- a senior and successful government servant. She stays with her daughter Priya but not alone. She has a live-in friend, Sudhanshu, an artiste. Interestingly, even Sudhashu is separted from his wife and has a daughter Maansee.
Apt to its title, Kaamnaa is show about the two protagonists each with their own desire. The clash between the separate values provides the friction and the drama to the story.
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.
