News Broadcasting
NBC introduces new programming schedule for its 2006-07
MUMBAI: With the end of television hits such as Friends and Frasier, NBC is attempting to regain its top ratings by introducing its new primetime lineup with six new dramas and four new comedies for its 2006-2007 Fall schedule, as announced by NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly.
“The face of NBC is changing,” said Reilly. “We took the first step this season with Thursday hits My Name Is Earl and The Office. Next season we’ll add momentum and excitement with the addition of Sunday Night Football and establish a foundation of quality across the week by standing behind shows that each say something about who we are.”
The season includes two previously announced new dramas Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip to be telecast on Thursdays 9-10 pm ET, with an all-star cast that includes Matthew Perry , Amanda Peet and Bradley Whitfordand and Emmy Award-winning executive producer-writer Aaron Sorkin. It attempts to capture the drama behind the humour of producing a popular, late-night comedy sketch show.
Also to be aired is Kidnapped, a serialized thriller about the kidnapping of a teenaged boy, starring Jeremy Sisto and Delroy Lindo, every Tuesday at 9 pm ET.
In addition, the new drama Friday Night Lights will be telecast every Tuesday at 8 pm ET, stars Kyle Chandler and is inspired by the hit feature film that revovles around the high expectations set by a small town in Texas for their football team .
Another new entry is Heroes to be telecast on Mondays at 9 pm ET, an epic drama centering on the radically changed lives of ordinary people who realise they possess extraordinary powers.
Two new comedies to be telecast include 20 Good Years every Wednesday at 9 pm ET. It is a high-energy comedy starring Emmy winner John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor and follows two New Yorkers who finally realize that life doesn’t last forever. This will be followed by 30 Rock at 9:30 pm ET. 30 Rock stars Emmy winner Tina Fey as the head writer of a frenetic late-night television variety show. Also starring are Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan.
NBC has been known to introduce new series throughout the entire season. In keeping with this, ER premieres its 13th season in December followed by the new drama The Black Donnellys from Oscar winners Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco Crash, which will debut in January on Thursdays at 10 pm ET and will continue with consecutive original episodes, until it completes its first season.
Sunday Night Football will air every weekend from 8 to 11 pm, which will be preceded by the pre-game show Football Night in America.
In January 2007, NBC will introduce a new Sunday night line up featuring Simon Cowell’s new talent search America’s Got Talent hosted by Regis Philbin at 8 pm, leading into a new season of The Apprentice at 9 p.m., this time Donald Trump targeting candidates in L A . Followed at 10pm by the new drama Raines that has Emmy-winning writer-producer Graham Yost and director-writer-producer Frank Darabont and actor Jeff Goldblum as an eccentric police detective.
As yet unscheduled midseasons include The Singles Table and Andy Barker, P.I.
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.
