News Broadcasting
Nick strengthens NickToons block; launches ‘Trollz’
MUMBAI: In order to strengthen the weekday primetime NickToons block, Nick has launched a new show Trollz at 4.30 pm on weekdays. Trollz will join Chalkzone, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron and SpongeBob SquarePants, which also feature on the block.
Nick India vice president and general manager Hema Govindan said, “This is our first new show for 2006, a year which is going to be a landmark year for us especially in terms of new content. Our NickToons block has been gaining ground and looks unstoppable with its present lineup.”
Trollz is about five new-age girls from the whimsical city of Trollzopolis, a magical modern world far away where everyone is a Troll – a small creature that is half body and half very tall hair.
Apart from their quirky looks, the lives of Trollz are not very different from ordinary people. There are girl and boy Trollz, Troll families, schools and a big mall in the middle of the biggest city, Trollzopolis. The difference is that girl Trollz, once they’re old enough, can do magic.
The characters include five girl best friends: the sweet Amethyst, willful Ruby, dark Onyx, ditzy Topaz and thoughtful Sapphire, their schoolmates Coal, Rock, Jasper, Flint, and Alabaster and their families. The lives of the five girls, all in the ninth grade, undergo a dramatic change once they realise the existence of Troll magic and discover that care and skill must go into its use.
Trollz is the contemporary version of the classic colourful, spiky-haired Troll characters. The 21st century Trollz merges teenage lifestyle with a touch of technology and a dusting of magic to create a unique property that is cool, empowering and aspirational.
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.
