News Broadcasting
SBS Broadcasting sees success with first original drama series
CANNES: Capitalising on its successful productions of local formats, SBS Broadcasting has branched out into original scripted drama development. The pan-European broadcaster’s first original dramatic series For Better or Worse runs Monday through Friday 7 pm time slot on host network TV2 Hungary.
Today, more than a year since its debut, For Better or Worse continues to average 1.35 million viewers for a 14.4 rating/28 share among total viewers nationwide, the company claims in an official release.
Initially conceived in November 2004 by Interaktiv, the SBS-owned production company, For Better or Worse (Joban Rosszban in Hungarian) is a hospital drama series set in the small town of Csillagkut, near the capital city of Budapest. The hospital, Csillagvirag Clinic, is privately owned by Peter Pongracz (the series’ protagonist) and his sister Reka, both practicing doctors. Focusing on the everyday lives of the town’s three most influential families – the Pongracz, Nemes and Varnagy families – the series explores human relationships as well as medical issues.
The multi-layered storylines, crafted by the writing team of the scripted division of Interaktiv, involve elements of romance, jealousy, adolescence, comedy, and drama.
TV2 head of programming Lóránd Poich says: “We are very pleased with the audiences’ response to For Better or Worse. Airing the program as a half-hour daily strip for over a year, we are encouraged by its ability to deliver consistently across all target demographic groups, proving to us that locally produced programming resonates with the viewer and really does provide an advantage to our station.”
Added SBS Broadcasting VP production Daniela Matei, “This series has been an interesting exploration of developing original scripted drama series for our stations. As you know, our corporate mandate is always to deliver the best programming possible in the most cost effective and efficient manner. And based on the continuing success of this series and the affordability of the production, we are now looking at the possibility of adapting the local Hungarian scripts for other markets.”
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.
