News Broadcasting
Humour works for SAB TV, launching six new shows
MUMBAI: The ‘Only Smiles, No tears’ entertainment channel SAB TV is raring to go places. The channel, which has carved a niche for itself with its humour proposition, is launching six more shows this month.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, SAB TV president sales and marketing Kanta Advani said, “There has been a definite increase in viewership since we took on the humor positioning. We consider the age group of 15+ females and 25+ males to be the most important to our channel due to their buying propensity. And frankly, this is the target group that most advertisers chase.”
Elaborating on the kind of ground promotion strategy undertaken to reposition the channel, Advani said, “We took on the ‘Only Smiles, No Tears’ positioning in May this year and did some good publicity in print and outdoor. For this round of new programming initiatives we have again got some great campaigns going in print mainline dailies nationally, outdoor as well as radio i.e. Radio Mirchi in Mumbai and Delhi and Win.”
Owing to the channel’s genre and popularity a whole lot of new advertisers have joined the SAB TV gang in the last six months. They are Sansui, Lexi Pens, Coke, Samsung, ITC, Blowplast, Harry’s collection, Airtel, Hutch, Candico, Relaxo, Gooldlass Nerolac Paints, Shaw Wallace, Vardhaman Spinning, Ayur Herbal, Bajaj Consumer care, Max New York Life to name just a few.
The channel hopes to build on that momentum with the launch of six news shows. The first is a daily chat show that started today (3 November) called Carryy on Shekhar hosted by India’s talk show king Shekhar Suman, which airs daily at 10 pm Monday to Thursday. Claimed to be one of the funniest and savviest shows on television Carryy… is a fusion of Suman’s satirical comments on current events, t?te-?-t?tes with hot celebrities and political debates.
Back by popular demand is the Anupam Kher hosted kids’ show Say Na Something to Anupam Uncle which will air Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 pm. The third show Sab Kuch Ho Sakta Hai is a non stop laugh riot hosted Sajid Khan and Suresh Menon.
The fourth show in the channel’s kitty is a sitcom called Shri Sifarashilal. Starring Deven Bhojani and Bhawana Balsaver (the famous ‘Chachi’ of Dekh Bhai Dekh) among others, the serial portrays a common yet very unique character and his escapades.
Kisi Se Na Kehna is yet another laugh riot which essays an interesting character. Last but not the least is a show called Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai. The show promises to be candid camera at its best. “Each episode will be completely “gag-packed” and its canvas – the entire city of Mumbai,” quips Advani.
Talking about the USP of the channel Advani says, “All the above mentioned shows and some of the ongoing popular ones like Office Office, Yes Boss and Sahib Biwi Ke Ghulam gives the viewer different facets of humor.”
Advani feels that if there can be a news channel, a movie channel, a music channel, why can’t there be a predominantly humour channel which promises laughter and relief all the while to its viewers? Point taken.
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.
