News Broadcasting
HBO spices up Friday nights with ‘Double Bill’ programme initiative
HBO is all set to add juice to weekend entertainment this month by introducing HBO Friday Double Bill .Two films will be shown back to back under the programme initiatives She-Heroes at 9:30 pm, followed by After Dark.
In May, the She-Heroes programme initiative will be replaced with Kung-Fu Knights.
Interestingly, arch rival Star Movies used to have a Double Bill programme initiative on Wednesdays some time back. Two films starring one actor were shown back to back every Wednesday. The initiative was discontinued as the channel felt it would be better to concentrate on a genre each night at 9:30 pm with the exception of Fridays, when the channel telecasts premieres.
She Heroes deals with female protagonists saving the day in a variety of situations. Barb Wire sees Pamela Anderson of Baywatch fame enter the action film genre. Anjelina Jolie uses the help of a paralysed Denzel Washington to track a serial killer in The Bone Collector. Tanya Roberts plays a young girl raised by a mystical African woman using her ability to talk to animals and knowledge of jungle lore against high tech weapons of mercenaries in Sheena.
The After Dark programme initiative sees action films with a noirish feel take centrestage. Films include Second Skin with Natasha Henstridge and Angus MacFadyen, The Arena with Karen McDougal & Lisa Dergan.
Body Double deals with an actor getting involved with a murder plot in the thriller. It stars Melanie Griffith, Craig Wasson and Gregg Henry.
The Double Bill schedule
She-Heroes ( Fridays 9:30 pm)
5 April The Bone Collector
12 April The Assassin
19 April Barb Wire
26 April Sheena
After Dark
5 April Body Double 12:00 am
12 April The Arena 11:45 pm
19 April Second Skin 11:30 pm
26 April Wild Things 11:45 pm
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.
