News Broadcasting
Shekhar Suman turns producer with two shows on Zee
Shekhar Suman, the indefatigable master of talk, is producing two shows for Zee TV under the banner of his newly constituted production house, Seven Thirty Entertainment.
Simply Shekhar, the talk show that ‘goes one step ahead of Movers and Shakers’ and which was being eyed by Star, has been snapped up by Zee.
While Suman says Simply Shekhar ‘begins where M&S ends’, he is clear that the core will remain ‘fearless stand up interspersed with humour’. To be aired twice a week from 30 July, the half hour show will have a guest section a la M&S, which will feature “not movers but people who have already moved” – in other words, people who have already become achievers in their own right. The show will also have a live audience and a band comprising three girls and three boys which will, in all probability be called The Head Band (Remember M&S’ Rubber Band?)
Suman’s production company has subcontracted the show to InHouse Productions, which had produced Movers and Shakers. While the sets and the format of the show is “drastically different” from M&S, the show will occupy the same time slot of 10:30 pm. A team of eight scriptwriters is working with Suman to drum up the pithy dialogue, while TV Vinod, who has earlier handled MTV shows and ground events, dons the director’s cap. Suman credits himself with the concept and the snazzy teasers and promos that will hit the channel soon, though. When quizzed about his choice of channel, Suman says that the channel is not as important as the “people with the right mindset” who have been open to his ideas about the show. So, Zee gets Simply Shekhar as well as XYZ, an action thriller series that will premiere in the first week of October on the channel.
The show, that will have its moments of humour, is being shot at several overseas locations including Malaysia and Australia and will feature a “leading actress from the film world” in the lead role, says Suman. Zee plans to telecast the show four times a week. Suman, who is currently busy with his forthcoming films Chor Machaye Shor and Ek Se Badhkar Ek and an album where he has lent both his voice and lyrics, says XYZ is about a crack team of detectives (X played by Suman, Y by the unnamed Bollywood heroine and Z by a dog called Zorro) and their exploits. Anant Mahadevan has directed some of the initial episodes.
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.
