News Broadcasting
Kiran Karmarkar, Niki Aneja feted at Lions’ awards
MUMBAI: On Thursday night, the Bhaidas Hall in Vile Parle (a suburb in Mumbai) buzzed with anticipation, excitement and delight, as the Lions Club International gave away awards honouring the film and television industry for 2003.
12 awards were presented to the television industry. Aaj Tak was adjudged the News Channel for the year 2003. UTV turned up trumps as the Best Production House. Hotly contested, the best actor in the male category was won by Kiran Karmarkar (Om Aggarwal) for Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, when the best actor in the female category was bagged by Niki Aneja Walia (Dr Simran) for Astitva… Ek Prem Kahani.
Rajeev Khandelwal (Sujal, a favourite with female viewers) was adjudged the Best Male Newcomer, while Mona Singh won the Best Female Newcomer Award for her histrionics in the aggressively marketed SET serial Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin.
Ajai Sinha was conferred the Best Director Award for his skills on Astitva… Ek Prem Kahani, while the Best Serial Award went to the thus far unfeted Kittie Party. Urvashi Dholakia who has become a household name, courtesy the character of Komolika in Kasautii Zindagii Kay, was declared the Best Vamp. Shabir Ahluwalia (Rishi, better known as Mrs Braganza, these days) proved to be her counterpart, when he held the trophy aloft for the Best Villain for Kahiin To Hoga.
Pankaj Kapur, who plays Musaddilal in Sab TV’s Office Office got the best TV actor in a comic role (male), and better half Supriya Pathak as Hansa Parekh on Star Plus’ Khichdi got the best TV actor in a comic role (female) award.
Surprisingly, three serials that currently rule the roost at the TRP stakes- Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Sanjivani- A Medical Boon and Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand did not win awards in any category, perhaps due to the fact that there were only 12 awards waiting to be given away in contrast to 19 awards meant for the film industry.
City police commissioner Dr P S Pasricha presented the awards.
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.
