News Broadcasting
SABe TV launching new sitcom 25 February
SABe TV continues on its promise of providing ‘relief’ to viewers with the launch on 25 February of a new sitcom Sajan Tu Jhoot Mat Bol.
The show is directed by Rajan Waghdhare and written by Ashok Patole, the same team that has given the well known SABe TV sitcoms Yes Boss and Sriman Srimati.
Also launching on 25 February are some new current affairs progranmmes which will lock in the 10 to 10:30 pm band five days a week. Karan Thapar hosts two shows, Line of Fire on Mondays and Court Martial on Thursdays. Both the shows are in English. Veer Sanghvi hosts another English show Meeting of Minds on Tuesdays, while Priya Tendulkar anchors Jawab Talab, modelled on BBC’s Hard Talk, Wednesdays.
To round it off on Fridays there is Khula Manch (open platform) which has Manoj Raguvanshi in the anchor’s seat. Unlike the other new shows, though, Khula Manch is a one-hour programme.
Once these programming initiatives are instituted, SABe TV will have the distinction of not having a single soap in the time band from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. SABe TV’s family dramas will essentially be confined to the afternoon slot.
The programming format is as follows:
Time Programme
7:00 pm Asterix
7:30 pm Alif Laila
8:00 pm Office Office
8:40 pm Sajan Tu Jhoot Mat Bol
9:10 pm Yes Boss
9:40 pm Sriman Srimati
10:10 pm Colonell (a whodunnit detective series)
10:30 pm – 11 pm Current Affairs show
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.
