News Broadcasting
SaharaOne to reschedule comedy band, 3 new launches this month
MUMBAI: February will see some major reshuffling in SaharaOne as far as the channel’s programming is concerned. The comedy band will see a time change, three different genre shows will debut and at the same time, February will also mark the exit of two existing shows.
A fresh comedy band, in place of the original 8 pm, will be constituted at 11 pm. All existing shows – Malini Iyer, Baal Baal Bacche, Aao Bahen Chugli Karen and Main Office Tere Aangan Ki are moving to the late night slot with effect from 7 February. This is being done to fill a need gap for comedy at the late hour, says SaharaOne programming head Kumud Chaudhary.
As was reported by Indiantelevision.com early this year, Dial One Aur Jeeto and ADA, which were to debut on 17 January, will now launch on 7 February and 14 February respectively. Dial One Aur Jeeto, which will be aired at 8.30 pm, is a non fiction show with the agenda of pulling in viewers to the channel with a series of questions that audiences can answer and win prizes. The stickiness this show generates is expected to translate into more viewers for the Ken Ghosh produced ADA, which will be aired at 9 pm.
Another SaharaOne show, produced by Miditech, Dil Chahta Hai, which was originally intended to launch on Valentine’s Day, will not launch for quite a while, say channel officials. Instead, a mini series in the thriller genre, No.13 will launch on 25 February at 7.30 pm. No.13, says Chaudhary, is targeted at children in the eight to 12 age bracket, and is ‘very different in orientation from existing SaharaOne shows’.
The launch of these shows will see the exit of the lackluster Kucch Love Kucch Masti, the bold show that debuted last August, which will take the final bow on 10 February. The kids’ show Aavishkar – Ek Rakshak too will air its last episode on 18 February.
Kuchh Love Kuchh Masti, says Chaudhary, was a ‘good show’ that gave the channel a spanking new image’, but it now has to give way to other new shows, she says.
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.
