News Broadcasting
KSKBT fast forwards to the future next week
If you have had no problems keeping track of 21 members of the Virani family, try dealing with 32 as India’s Numero Uno Hindi family drama Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi fast forwards 20 years into the future from next week.
Star Plus, that has been riding high on the TRP charts thanks to the Balaji soap for the last one and half years, is now making efforts to ensure that viewers stay glued and devoted to the next generation of Viranis as well. A new marketing initiative in the form of a mock remote control, with details of the new avatar KSBKBT, coupled with the extended Virani family tree, has been doing the rounds of local media.
The channel will telecast a wrap up of the serial thus far on a special episode this Saturday at 8:30 pm. From next Monday, Mihir, to the sorrow of his fans, will be out of the serial. Get ready for a gracefully aging Tulsi, and the numerous progeny of the rest of the third generation Viranis, as the serial zooms into 2022. The rest of the present cast is unchanged. The new entrants in the cast include Ritu Chaudhary, Mehul Kajaria, Mausami Mewawalla, Hansika Motwani, Sandeep Baswana and others.
The injection of innovation into KSBKBT has in all probability been inspired by the plateau that the serial had struck in its storyline recently. Earlier this week, a member of the first generation, Goverdhan Virani, breathed his last on the serial, paving the way for a change in the plot.
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.
