News Broadcasting
Records tumble at AXN’s ‘World Record Holder Contest’
For action channel AXN, generating local interest in its programming is not about creating Indian programming or even Indian language feeds. It’s all about bringing events linked to their popular shows to India.
Saturday morning in Mumbai was witness to just that with the channel conducting the AXN World Record Holder contest in association with HP Deskjet. Cheered on lustily by an enthusiastic crowd witnessing the first of its kind event in India, five youngsters attempted to do the country proud by setting records in different categories – some strange, others not so strange but that’s Guinness records for you.
Seven officials timed the event and made sure that the feats complied with the strict requirements of the Guinness records. They also had to make sure that press photographers did not obstruct the television camera at any point while the feats were performed otherwise the participant runs the risk of being disqualified on a technicality.
The first category was maximum pull-ups in one minute. Prior to today the category did not exist in the Guinness Book of World Records and so the benchmark was set. Prasanna Pednekar set the record with 48 pull-ups in 47.56 seconds.
Bibhuti Nayak a journalist stole the thunder however. He broke two records. First he performed 133 palm pushups in one minute erasing the previous record of 116. Interestingly he also holds the record of doing 819 backhand push-ups in one hour. Next three cement blocks placed on his groin were successfully broken by another person with a sledgehammer. The previous record had two cement blocks.
Also on display was Nilesh Gulgule who attempted to break 315 planks of wood using his fist. The previous record was 314.
Witnessing the excitement was V-P marketing AXN Asia Gregory Ho. He said that the feats being attempted by the participants were incredible not just by Indian but also by world standards. He pointed out that the youngsters were not motivated by money or fame but by a driving passion to do something which would give that extra meaning to their daily lives. The initiative was an attempt by the channel to give people the chance to experience the buzz first hand, Ho said.
AXN also announced six winners for its “viewing marathon”. The show was conducted from 10-12 July and started with 14 participants. As mentioned earlier they had to watch episodes of Ripley’s Believe It or Not continuously for a period of 48 hours, 15 minutes and six seconds. Vishal Vyas, Chandan Rathod, Satpal Singh, Darshan Bagga, Bhavin Shah and Ami Desai broke the record which was previously held by an American who saw NYPD Blue for 46 hours, 30 minutes and 50.91 seconds.
Speaking on this, Ho said that the achievement was not as simple as it looked. Watching the tube for even 72 hours was no big stretch as long as one got regular sleep. The participants were given only 15-minute breaks after viewing for eight hours. He also mentioned that one contestant put off the need to answer the call of nature for four hours which was literally a triumph of mind over matter.
Now all that remains to be seen is whether or not the Guinness World Records Committee in America ratifies the records.
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.
