News Broadcasting
Sahara Pariwar pays tribute to Nafisa
MUMBAI: Sahara India Pariwar paid tribute to former Miss India and TV personality Nafisa Joseph on 5 September. Her family (father and sister), her closest friends and also people from the film and fashion fraternity were present to pay their last respects at the ITC Grand Maratha.
The service began with a short film on Nafisa’s life with ex Miss World and one of Nafisa’s closest friends, Diana Hayden, recounting fond memories. Sameer Malhotra read a short poem, Sameer Soni, Cyrus Broacha, Pradeep Guha and photographer Vikram Bawa also shared their memories while MTV VJs Ramona and Sophia sang in Nafisa’s memory.
Among others who came to pay tribute were Kim Sharma, Preeti Jhangiani, Nethra Raghuraman, Suchitra Pillai and Tapur. Nafisa Joseph who passed away on 29 July had apparently committed suicide over personal problems.
Sahara India Pariwar and Nafisa had jointly worked on several of their events over the years. The most recent one being where Nafisa hosted the Laureus World Sports Academy Gala night in Amby Valley, as stated in an official release.
Percept D’Mark (PDM) had previously done many shows with Nafisa and were actually planning on having her host the recent Anti Piracy Show. They, therefore, thought that a tribute celebrating the life of late Nafisa would be befitting.
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.
