News Broadcasting
Sahara Samay to get a makeover
MUMBAI: Subroto Roy promoted Sahara Group’s news channels that operate under the brand name Sahara Samay are getting ready for a makeover.
The brand name ‘Sahara’ is likely to be dropped from all its news channels later this month, says an industry source.
Each channel will possibly carry the tag of the region it is targeting without the brand name Sahara, adds the source. The channels are currently called Sahara Samay Mumbai, Sahara Samay Bihar & Jharkhand, etc.
“Such proposals are being seriously considered and a decision is to be taken soon. The Samay title is likely to stay,” the source said.
Sahara Samay editor-in-chief Punya Prasun Bajpai declined to comment on the likelihood of dropping the brand name by the Group for its news channels.
Bajpai, however, confirmed that the news channels would don a new look and the studio sets would also get a makeover.
When Sahara launched a movie channel, it decided to have Filmy as the brand name; it did not engage ‘Sahara’ preceding the name of the channel.
Sahara Samay has recently refurbished its editorial team with former Aaj Tak executive editor Punya Prasun Bajpai joining the network; several others particularly from Aaj Tak have also been taken in.
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.
