News Broadcasting
Kolkata municipal elections boost Star Ananda ratings
MUMBAI: It is anand (happiness) for the fledgling news channel from the ABP-Star stable – Star Ananda – targeted at the 100 million strong Bengali populace. It is riding high on handsome ratings – an outcome of its focused coverage of the Kolkata Municipal elections last month, which saw the Left sweeping its way to victory.
TAM data for week 26 (19-25 June 2005) indicates that Star Ananda has managed to hook 49 of the Top 50 programme spots across all news channels in Kolkata and West Bengal. Its election special shows — Kolkata Sara Din chalked up 2.87 TVRs, Hello VIP garnered 2.49 TVRs and Bolun Councilor attains 2.43 TVRs, giving it a channel TVR of 3.54.
The only other show in the Top 50 pecking order was Tara Newz Tara Nazar which was ranked at No 43 with a TVR of 1.39. In fact, Star Ananda’s performance, according to sources, in the afternoon band between 1 and 4 pm was most impressive and most of the programmes in the Top 50 were aired during the noon.
Speaking on the impressive performance, MCCS CEO Uday Shankar goes on to add that at MCCS, tremendous efforts has been placed to cultivate the afternoon band and to break the myth that has been perpetuated amongst the news broadcasters that the noon band does not hold potential viewers.
The good showing has secured it a 52 per cent market share in Kolkata, with its piece of the action for West Bengal being a commanding 49 per cent (C&S, 15 plus). Tara Newz the No 2 had a 15 per cent market share both in Kolkata as well as in West Bengal with NDTV India snaring an 8 per cent share each in Kolkata and West Bengal.
According to Shankar, the highlight was polling day on 19 June, for the Kolkata Municipal elections, when it managed to carve out a 69 per cent market share in Kolkata. Tara News was a distant second, holding an 18 per cent share. Its market share on 21 June – counting day – was also an awesome 63 per cent.
Commenting on the completion of one month of Star Aanada, a jubilant Shankar says: “We are looking at expanding the universe of news viewership.”
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.
