News Broadcasting
News channel talk leaves DD Metro producers feeling shortchanged: Prem Sagar
MUMBAI: Top DD (Doordarshan) producers who say they have committed software worth millions of rupees to DD-2 (Metro) are feeling cheated by the uncertainty that presently surrounds the channel.
Recent media reports indicate that the national broadcaster is toying with the idea of converting its essentially entertainment channel DD Metro into DD News.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Sagar Arts marketing director cum producer Prem Sagar says: “Three months back, DD officials had sought the support of top DD producers in revamping DD-2. The idea was to convert the DD-2 into a major entertainment channel. Sagar Arts assured DD officials of its unflinching support.”
In fact, just this Monday (14 July) that Sagar Arts’ Jai Ganga Maiya began airing on DD Metro (Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday) in the prime time 9:30 pm slot. Yesterday (17 July), Sagar Entertainment launched Filmon ka Guldasta – a bouquet off super hit films – that will be aired every Thursday on DD-2 as a half hour show at 9:30 pm.
Speaking about Jai Ganga Maiya, Sagar says: “Each episode of the 90-episode serial has been produced at an approximate cost of Rs 500,000. Normally, producers don’t invest more than Rs 100,000 on a daily serial. Sagar Arts has gone ahead with this ambitious move even when nobody has dared to put such a big project on DD-2. The cost of the entire software is estimated at Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million).”
Sagar also adds that DD officials haven’t clarified or sent any official communication on the proposed conversion of DD-2 into DD News. “But, we feel that DD officials must support us. A daily serial such as Jai Ganga Maiya will beget positive outflows and returns only after a period of nine months. We have just started and things are so unclear. We have a right to know the direction in which things are heading,” Sagar adds.
Sagar Arts claims to contribute nearly Rs 3-4 million per month to Prasar Bharati in terms of telecast fees for currently telecast programmes such as Ankhen, Ramayan, Jai Ganga Maiya and Filmon ka Guldasta. “Our serial Shri Krishna had contributed Rs 139 crore (Rs 1.3 billion) to DD’s coffers. Being one of the top producers (if not the largest one) on DD, we expect more clarity,” Sagar points out.
While talking about Filmon ka Guldasta, Sagar says: “We are starting off with Ramanand Sagar film festival and airing blockbuster hits such as Arzoo, Ankhen, Lalkar, Geet, Bhagawat and Charas amongst others. The films will be showcased in capsules of 30-minute episodes. The cost of the entire bouquet of films is estimated to be in the region of around Rs 50 million.”
Sagar also claims that he had not received any feedback for a “international Pan-Pacific” project submitted to DD nearly a year ago. “We had submitted a proposal for a costume drama that would be jointly produced by DD and Sagar Arts. This would have been the first truly global project in which DD could have participated. We had plans to shoot the show in Bali, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India using local artistes. The project was viable as we could have roped in advertisers such as Unilever and Colgate who have a presence in all these countries,” says Sagar.
Meanwhile, Sagar is also getting feelers from India’s top cable and satellite channels to produce shows for the mass entertainment channels.
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.
