News Broadcasting
Sahara aims at share of lifestyle programming pie
MUMBAI: Sahara Manoranjan has not tried lifestyle programming till now, but is now aiming to go full throttle at it with a fashion magazine show hosted by VJ and actor Malaika Arora Khan.
Slated as part of the channel’s weekend programming, the Malaika show is likely to have one telecast on Sunday mornings. Her presence on the channel is aimed at attracting younger viewers to this entertainment channel. The other show targeted at younger viewers, Saathiya, too goes on air on 19 July, and will run Mondays to Thursdays at 8.30 pm, in place of the outgoing Zindagi Teri Meri Kahani.
While Malaika will add the necessary glamour quotient to the Sahara Manoranjan programming, another mega show, Chandramukhi (directed by Sunil Agnihotri, who earlier created the opus Chandrakanta) has also commenced shooting. Produced by Applause Entertainment, this show is expected to go on air in the coming few months.
Sahara officials also confirm that Malini Iyer, the Sridevi starrer that was expected to create waves but has caused hardly any ripples in television programming, is due for a revamp by September. The programming revamp at Sahara Manoranjan is being phased in gradually, and more changes could be in order as the management contract deal struck with Percept D’Mark takes shape in the following weeks.
Officials also confirm that pre-production work has begun on a Hindi quiz show to be produced by ace quizmaster Sidhartha Basu’s company, Synergy Productions. Basu, however, will this time not be seen in front of the camera, but will restrict himself to wielding the director’s cap.
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.
