News Broadcasting
Kohli starts work Monday as Star News president
Star India finally made it official today. The Rupert Murdoch-promoted company announced the appointment of Ravina Raj Kohli as president – Star News Channel. Kohli starts work Monday and will be spearheading the new Star News operation scheduled to delink from Prannoy Roy’s New Delhi Television on 31 March 2002.
Kohli is expected to be in Los Angeles within the next two weeks to get a first hand look at how Murdoch’s Fox News operation is run. It is the Fox News formula on which the new Star News will be modelled – meaning lots more focus on entertainment, sports and business as an adjunct to politics.
Kohli will report directly to Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea who, while announcing the appointment, said: “We are very pleased to have Ravina join us at this exciting juncture. Ravina’s experience in the creative business of television will bring to the news category in India a fresh boost and new energy. I am confident that with her leadership, Star News will achieve new heights as the pace-setter in news broadcasting.” “I am ready for the challenge ahead, and look forward to working with Asia’s most dynamic company, building on the popularity and success of Star News – and breaking new ground,” an official release quoted Kohli as saying.
One thing that seems clear is that Star News will not be operating out of the Star India head office in the western Mumbai suburb of Andheri. A likely possibility as far as office premises go is the Worli area of central Mumbai. A whole new complex where the news operations will be housed is just one part of the start-up costs of the news channel which will have a completely new look – new ID, logos and everything else. Star has reportedly earmarked Rs 2500 million for just the first year of operations. That is huge money and is likely to shake up all the players in the business.
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.
