News Broadcasting
Lifeline KBC2: Star holds on with re-runs
MUMBAI: It is official now. Star Plus is not discontinuing Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 (KBC2) even though it has exhausted its fresh bank of episodes. Instead, the channel will telecast re-runs of KBC2, starting 20 February on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We are not winding up KBC2. We are expecting the show to make a come back with fresh episodes by March. To fill the void, we will air re-edited versions of some of the interesting KBC2 episodes for the next four weeks,” Star India EVP marketing Ajay Vidyasagar told indiantelevision.com.
However, Vidyasagar refused to give any timeframe on Bachchan’s re-appearance to shoot for KBC2.
“You gotta wait for me”
As reported earlier, Star Plus aired the 61st episode of KBC2, the last fresh episode in its hold, on 13 January. Anchor Amitabh Bachchan, originally committed to shoot 85 episodes, was unable to continue shooting after his recent illness. Reportedly, Bachchan is expected to resume shooting for the remaining 24 episodes next month.
Vidyasagar feels that, such a break (of fresh episodes) will be good for the show’s popularity. “It will create a lot of expectations across the nation. Hence, when KBC2 makes a comeback, we expect it to deliver better ratings. That would be good for advertisers as well,” he says.
Star India had earlier re-scheduled its popular game show following Bachchan’s illness to twice a week (Friday & Saturday) instead of the original thrice a week run with effect from 2 December. In between, the channel also re-ran celebrity episodes. The channel has filled the Sunday slot left vacant by KBC2 with the serial Sai Baba.
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.
