News Broadcasting
Remembering Sidharth Shukla: Perception and reality
“Absolutely shocked and stunned on learning about the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput! Unbelievable! Sincere condolences and prayers for his family. Rest in peace..#SushantSinghRajput”
When TV and film actor Sidharth Shukla posted this tweet on 20 July 2020, little did he know or even guess that the whole of social media would be buzzing, with tweets and messages pouring in by the tens of thousands mourning his own passing away. Most of them expressed utter shock, disbelief, and numbness that the absolutely fighting fit Sidharth had indeed passed onto the other world.
His early death at just 40 will surely see him attain legendary status, just like Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise did for him. Or even James Dean did in the previous century.
Sidharth has a following that runs into millions – nay, hundreds of millions. He has a popularity that is akin to many big Bollywood stars.
We at Indiantelevision.com had signed him to perform at the height of his popularity during “Balika Vadhu” days for the Indian Telly Awards. With tight and long shooting schedules, he still found time to come rehearse for his act late into the night past the midnight hour.
But apparently, he would have liked more rehearsals. He was a tight bundle of energy waiting to explode, go on stage and complete his performance, on the evening of The Indian Telly Awards gala. One of the backstage crew said he was upset as there was a reshuffling of acts as one of his co-performers was not yet ready. “He’s extremely agitated,” said he. “We will have to calm him down.”
So we called Indiantelevision.com and the Indian Telly Awards founder Anil Wanvari to speak with him. Wanvari took him aside and asked him what the problem was. Sidharth explained he had had a rough shooting schedule and that he was expected on his sets the next day for an early morning shoot. He kept pacing around saying he wanted to go home.
Wanvari, putting his arm around his shoulder, gave him a bottle of water to sip, and spoke to him like he was his son, and explained to him why there was a delay in his multi-star dance act. He also told Sidharth that it is important that he dances as the performance would be incomplete without him, and his partner would not have anyone to dance with her. Wanvari’s soothing voice helped and we saw his sweaty face which had anger written all over it, soften and then break into a smile.
When his turn came to go on stage to dance, he performed like his life depended on it. The audience broke into applause. Wanvari went up to him and thanked him for his patience and for putting in his best into the performance. Sidharth only smiled shyly, his eyes crinkling and he looked away.
From thereon, the young man went on to achieve even greater fame and fan-following. Some controversial publications wrote about his occasional outbursts, while others talked about his better side. Initially, he used to react strongly to all the negative reports but recently had learned to laugh at them. Said he in a tweet recently: “Being reading a few newz articles …. Least said they are hilarious….. bhayi eye balls he Chahiyea tho kuch positive likh lo ….itni negativity kaha se latte ho…How do you’ll manage to know more about me better than me… least I can say .. may God bless you all.”
The educated, well-spoken interior design graduate who became a model and then shot to fame with “Balika Vadhu” and then climbed even higher with “Bigg Boss 13”, appears to have made peace with himself and with industry pressures. His posts clearly showed he had a sharp and intuitive mind. May his soul rest in peace!
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.
