News Broadcasting
Distribution hitches delay Sahara’s NCR news channel launch
MUMBAI: This time round Sahara is not taking any chances with a new product. In a bid to have its distribution strategy in place before launch, Sahara India Media & Entertainment’s (SIME) proposed NCR channel has been delayed till next month.
The National Capital Region (NCR) channel, which was conceived under the project name D1, has been given a formal name Sahara Samay NCR.
Confirming the development, a company source said, “The launch has been delayed as we are making sure that the channel would be available on tunable, if not prime, band in the NCR.”
With increasing number of channels being introduced via cable compounding the problem of low availability of bandwidth, service providers are finding it difficult to have all the channels on the tunable band. In India, prime
band is considered that bandwidth where approximately 12-15 channels could be accessed by a black & white TV set, while those channels that can be accessed by an average TV set, are said to be tunable. At present, over 400 pay and free to air channels could be accessed in India.
Sahara sources also added that distribution head Tapas Roy, an import from Siti Cable, was concentrating on Sahara Rashtriya and Sahara Mumbai as the respective channels had got shifted out of the tunable band and,
hence, was unable to devote full time on the proposed channel.
However, the NCR channel is being test beamed and is available on 28-odd headends in Delhi and the neighbouring areas, even as programming details are being a final shape along with additional broadcast equipment that would be necessary to make the channel really live, interactive and lively.
Explaining that Sahara does not want to take chances with a new channel, unlike the existing ones from the stable that had faced distribution problems resulting in low visibility, the sources added that the company’s distribution team too is being beefed up country-wide in the wake of a few exits.
In recent times, there have been several departures from Sahara’s distribution team, including Raj Mohan, who used to look after the distribution activities for south and western India region. Mohan has joined as head of distribution for TV Today Network after Amitabh Srivastava upped and shook hands with the little Big Mouse.
SIME is also not averse to follow “certain market norms” relating to placement of channels on cable networks and, company sources admitted, package deals were being worked out with cable operators.
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.
