News Broadcasting
HBO looks to increase viewership base with ‘Big One’ programme block
MUMBAI: Think movies! Think big! Think HBO! That is the message HBO is looking to get across to the viewer when it kicks off its new programme block The Big One this month. During each quarter, at least one movie will be shown in the block.
For the first quarter that movie is Spiderman. The film airs on 30 January at 9 pm. On the corporate side Shruti Bajpai who used to be HBO’s marketing director South Asia has been promoted to HBO South Asia country manager. Speaking on the initiative Bajpai said, “Spiderman was one of the biggest theatrical releases in India and worldwide. The films that we will showcase in The Big One slot have done enormously well both critically and commercially. Spiderman is also keeping with our tradition of releasing a big movie in January.
“In 2002 it was The Mummy and in 2003 we had Mission Impossible II. Looking ahead we will be showcasing some of the biggest movies from last year over the next couple of years. Together they have earned around 70 per cent of the worldwide box office revenues. When we talk about building up quality partnerships, we mean it. “
HBO looks to rougish Denzel to spice up the action
In February, its big blockbuster is The Scorpion King with wrestler The Rock. Another film is Training Day for which Denzel Washington won an Oscar. In terms of original content, the channel will continue to showcase its own award winning movies like The Gathering Storm, Live From Baghdad as well as Mira Nair’s Hysterical Blindness. The channel is also considering bringing in another high value quality show besides Sex And The City.
“The show has held up extremely well since its launch. That is the test of any show and so the second season will commence this year. It has been in the top 10 for English general entertainment shows. It has bettered expectations in terms of the average ratings it got.” Bajpai said.
Wrestler turned actor The Rock will strut his stuff on HBO
It’s Oscar time next month. To celebrate the mood, the channel will have the block From The Greatest To The Latest. Every weekday at 9 pm an Oscar winner and nominee will be showcased back to back like Ben Hur and The Grinch. The films will get more and more new as 29 February approaches which is when the Oscars will be handed out, while ironically, the rights to telecast the show live have been bagged by arch rival Star Movies. Another theme will be The Rise of The Machines. The block will showcase Arnold Schwarzenegger. In March for the International Women’s Day, the channel will showcase the best work that actresses have done for Hollywood.
Maintaining that 2003 was a good year for the channel, Bajpai said that December saw 11 of the top 15 movies coming from the HBO stable. This was when it ran the Best of 2003 block. For the prime time 9-11 pm slot, its share was 42 per cent. AXN, Zee MGM, Hallmark and Star Movies shared the rest. Bajpai claims that primetime share was also highest when you took into account other niche channels like Discovery and Cartoon Network.
She points out that there had been a great deal of innovation in terms of targeting viewers. ” We were the first English movie channel to create a special block for youth which was HBO Generation Me. Our themes got bigger and better. Our Summer Action Marathon gave us a higher channel share than the competition. We were also able to expand our viewer base with the HBO Filmmaker series. That catered to the discerning viewer.”
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.
