News Broadcasting
‘Russian Roulette’ and weekend series to spice up Sony’s programming
An Indian version of Russian Roulette, the popular game of chance, and a weekend series from the Balaji stable on Sony are set to propel the channel forward in the stakes for viewership.
Sony, according to SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta, is set to change the rules of weekend programming, so far associated with blockbuster movies across all channels. “Now we are working on a blockbuster series. It will be three one hour episodes across the weekend that will run for 39 episodes,” he says. “With it, we expect to carve out the weekend prime time slot.” It is no coincidence that Balaji CEO and MD Shobha Kapoor told an analysts’ meet recently that it would be a high-cost production that would run for a total of 13 weeks.
Sony’s plans for weekdays are equally ambitious. Dasgupta says that one show the channel is seriously looking at is a gameshow, Russian Roulette, a Columbia Tristar property. Russian Roulette, is a game of chance where every question could cause a contestant to literally “drop out” of the game and has been a hit in countries as wide apart as Russia and Spain.
In this knowledge test, four strangers challenge each other to answer a series of multiple choice questions. If a contestant answers incorrectly, he must pull the lever potentially triggering one or more ‘drop zones’. When only one contestant is left standing, that person keeps all the money won and proceeds to the final round. In the US version, the final winner takes home an additional $100,000.
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.
