News Broadcasting
Sahara optimistic about new horror show
MUMBAI: Sahara Manoranjan is all geared up to launch its new horror show – Raat Hone Ko Hai to compete with Sony’s Kya Haadsa Kya Haqeeqat and Star’s recently launched serial Koi Jane Na.
Raat Hone Ko Hai (RHKH) has been produced by Pradeep Uppur and directed by BP Singh (the makers of Aahat and C.I.D).
RHKH is a daily and will air from Monday to Thursday at 11 pm. With no special cast, this horror show will sport different actors every week.
When asked by indiantelevision.com as to how different this show would be from its competitors Koi Jane Na and Kya Haadsa Kya Haqeeqat, Singh did not lay any tall claims but merely said that he had attempted a different format of story -telling. “Each story would be completed in four episodes, which in turn would make our show pacy and not keep the viewer waiting every Thursday for the next week’s episodes. In such cases, often the viewer is unable to catch up the next week and hence he loses track, and in the bargain, the programme loses eyeballs.”
Singh also stressed on the fact that like in C.I.D, here too care has been taken that nothing is taken from any real-life incident, however chilling and inexplicable it might be.
RHKH which will be pitched at the 11 pm slot against the popular Kahiin To Hoga on Star Plus may do better if it was slotted in at 11.30 pm when it will be competing with Star’s Kahiin Kissi Roz. But Sahara’s senior VP programming Triptii Sharma explained that the 11 pm show was going to be the channel’s wind up show after which the repeat telecasts begin. “However if we get something good at 11 pm, we may shift this one to 11.30,” she added.
Twenty four episodes of RHKH are ready and Singh expects the show to be an on-going one like C.I.D. Sharma said, “There should be the usual 260 mandatory episodes. And then, we’ll take it from there.”
C.I.D hasn’t been hogging the limelight with double-digit TVR figures, but its consistent presence week-after-week is an indicator that it has a loyal following even after five years of being on-air. Sahara Manoranjan, for one, would certainly be looking for a repeat of that.
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.
