News Broadcasting
Entertainment One, Sahar still together: production house clarifies
MUMBAI: Entertainment One, Manmohan Shetty’s film production house, has issued a notice yesterday stating that all is well between them and their associates Sahara India Mass Communication.
The production house unwittingly found itself at the centre of an imbroglio, when Sahara withdrew its involvement from the Ketan Mehta/Bobby Bedi-produced film Mangal Pandey – The Rising, last fortnight.
The reason: Entertainment One was financing the film and Sahara has a stake in the company.
In an attempt break the ice, the production house has issued a company release stating, “Sahara India is very much an integral part of the The Rising and ‘not mere guests at the mahurat of the film’ as misquoted by some section of the media.”
The problem between Sahara and the producers began when the lead actress Aishwarya Rai, who is incidentally a director with Sahara, was ousted from the film by Bedi.
Immediately, Sahara decided to sever ties with the film and issued a press statement saying, “We shall never continue any association where the concerned people shall not care for the respect of our Pariwar and Pariwar people… We should have been intimated and consulted before Rai was so unceremoniously thrown out of the project.”
Dragging Entertainment One into the issue, media reports had quoted Bedi as saying, “Entertainment One is still financing the film and that is what matters to us.”
However, the company release issued by the production house clarifies, “Probably due to lack of communication, some issues have been misinterpreted regarding the role of Sahara in the film. We would like to bring to light that we had entered a memorandum of understanding with Sahara to financially assist a few film projects including The Rising.”
The release says, “It is unfortunate that due to a certain issues related to Ms Rai, Sahara has had to take a stand to pull out of the project, and we respect the decision.”
The release concludes saying, “Entertainment One and Sahara Pariwar would like to have a longstanding relationship in time to come.”
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.
