News Broadcasting
Sahara Samay Mumbai to target women in afternoon band
MUMBAI: While other players in the news genre are haggling over male eyeballs, Sahara Samay is looking towards roping in women and children to broaden its viewership.
Going against the grain, Sahara Samay Mumbai has set out plans to buttress its afternoon band. Starting Friday (12 January), the still-in-test-phase news channel will roll out programmes which offer a viewing option to women, for whom the afternoon is a “compulsory watch” segment.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Sahara Samay Mumbai head Rajiv Bajaj offered, “It is common knowledge that the afternoon band from 1:30 pm to 5 pm is a time when women and school going children tune in. We are not looking at an alternative audience but are targeting the same audience tuning in to mass entertainment channels.”
Stree Samay is the first programme targeting women that will roll out. The programme will be a series of 15 minute segments interspersed with news updates. The show, according to Bajaj, will offer women with information on health, hygiene, child-care, how to plan their day, where to shop, and other such information.
Following Stree Samay is School Samay targeting pre-teens, which will comprise education based interstitials.
“We will within a few weeks debut Fashion and Retail Samay. A unique programme, it is unlike any other fashion programme. It will offer comprehensive information about the fashion industry, the glamorous and the technical aspects of it,” offered Bajaj.
Says Bajaj, “Once the afternoon band is in place, we can command a continuous viewership throughout the day. Following the afternoon band, we have a teen band already on from 5:30 to 7:30, immediately followed by my show.”
Bajaj said that the channel should be ready with a comprehensive promotional plan within a fortnight. Titled “Celebrating Mumbai”, the on-ground and on-air blitz would be a gala affair that would celebrate Mumbai and all the elements that constitute India’s commercial capital, says Bajaj.
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.
