News Broadcasting
Karachi punter wins all-new ‘Super Selector’
MUMBAI: Hasnain Abbas of Karachi has emerged as the Winner of the innovative, interactive and integrated game show ESPN STAR Sports Super Selector by choosing the best team with a mind-boggling Super Score of 2591 points in September.
As Super Selector for the month of September Hasnain Abbas, 24, a die-hard cricket fan, will get a dream prize – a free trip to Wellington and an opportunity to share the commentary box with the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Navjot Sidhu and Harsha Bhogle during the first test between India and New Zealand from December 12 to 16.
Hasnain’s Dream Team, which won him a place among the cricket experts, included Andy Flower, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Marcus Trescothick, Matthew Hayden, Virender Sehwag, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ronnie Irani, Shane Bond, Shane Watson and Kumara Sangakkara.
The new version of Super Selector has introduced the concept of ‘Mini Super Selector’ whereby in addition to selecting their favourite cricket teams, the participants can now opt to select only the top three players – best batsman, best bowler and best wicketkeeper for the month.
The winner of The Mini Super Selector game for September is Sajid Virani from Andheri, Mumbai for his selection comprising Virendra Sehwag as Best Batsman, Muttiah Muralitharan as Best Bowler and Kumara Sangakkara as Best Wicketkeeper. Sajid won a motorbike.
Super Selector offers an opportunity to millions of cricket lovers to prove their cricket knowledge and apply their skills in a unique game show, where people play a real game by selecting a real team.
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.
