News Broadcasting
Nick to take over Super Bowl in US
MUMBAI: One of the biggest sporting spectacles in the US Super Bowl XXXVIII gets underway on CBS on 1 February. It will co-produce a one-hour special with its sister network Nickelodeon. The special is titled Nickelodeon Takes Over the Super Bowl.
Nickelodeon’s stars will run amuck in Houston and get into the thick of Super Bowl excitement — all from a young viewer’s perspective. The special will have lots of Nick’s signature high jinks and slimings along the way.
Nickelodeon Television president Cyma Zarghami was quoted in a company release saying, “The special will give viewers a chance to join their favorite stars and athletes for a hilarious, messy, all-around fun look at the big game — produced especially for them. We are thrilled to be working with CBS and the National Football League to give young fans their very own hour of Super Bowl programming.”
The hosts of Nick’s U-Pick Live Brent Popolizio and Candace Bailey will take over the CBS Sports Desk and host the festivities. These will include NFL Experience games — including a messy twist — with All That’s Jamie Lynn Spears and Giovanni Samuels. There will also be a how-to-tailgate segment with the stars of the new Nick hit Drake and Josh.
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.
