News Broadcasting
Hit serials show slump in ratings in US
NEW YORK (US): According to the latest Nielsen Media Research, the Emmy-winning political drama, The West Wing has shown a sharp decline in the popularity charts in the US.
The West Wing ratings are down 23 per cent compared to the first three episodes last year, ER is down 15 per cent and after a fast start with Niles and Daphne’s wedding, Frasier has sunk and Providence is off 19 percent, states report by AP television writer David Bauder.
“A network always needs to be concerned about the health of their returning series, simply because they are the pillars of their schedule,” Initiative Media television analyst Stacey Lynn Koerner is quoted as saying in the report. “It’s a lot easier to replace a new show that is not living up to expectations,” he added.
The report further reveals that ABC is still trying to recover from a ratings free fall after established hits like The Drew Carey Show and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which swiftly lost favor last year. Listing out the probable reasons for a show like The West Wing going down the popularity chart includes viewer exhaustion with politics and critics who claim that its quality has slipped. NBC is facing tougher competition in the time slot, particularly for young viewers, with ABC’s The Bachelor and the WB’s Birds of Prey , saysthe report.
Even though The West Wing hit Nielsen’s top 10 last week, The Bachelor won among viewers age 18 to 49. “Given the tremendous competition for young adults in that hour, this is probably a realistic place for the show to be,” NBC entertainment president Jeff Zucker is quoted as saying in the report.
The report also mentions some popular NBC shows which have started showing their age, namely Frasier which is in its tenth season and ER in its ninth. Providence, which was on the fence for renewal before this season, began in January 1999.
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.
