News Broadcasting
Six new launches on tube this week
MUMBAI: Seems like loads of actions happening on telly this week. While Sab TV launches two new shows, AXN, CNBC and Star World will be releasing one show each.
Adhikari Brothers promoted channel will be launching a chat show Carryy on Shekhar hosted by Shekhar Suman and a comedy called Shri Sifarashilal, on 3 November. Besides that, Sab TV will also be launching a brand new season of Anupam Kher hosted Say Na Something to Anupam Uncle.
Similar to his previous stand up cum talk shows like Sony’s Movers and Shakers and Zee’s Simply Shekhar, Carryy on Shekhar is an entertaining mix of Shekhar’s satirical comments on current events, tete a tetes with celebrities’ political debates and topical discussions. Produced by Sab TV, the show will telecast from Monday to Thursday at 10 pm.
Next in the pipeline is a comedy show on the lines of the channel’s hit comedies Office Office and Yeh Public Hai Yeh Sab Jaanti Hai, Shri Sifarashilal. Aired every Monday-Thursday at 9:00 pm, the show will have a tongue in cheek approach to exposing social ills. While the Anupam Kher’s take on Bill Cosby’s Kids say the darnest things, Say Na Something to Anupam Uncle, will air every Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 pm.
Meanwhile CNBC-TV18’s new show plans to offer a tough competition to Shekhar Suman. In a bid to buttress its weekend viewing has got back the double Emmy Award winner and multiple Emmy nominee Jay Leno as a one hour show premiering on Saturday, 1 November 2003 at 1 pm.
Tonight show with Jay Leno will add an international flavour to the Sunday Brunch band, which comprises of lineup of unique weekend shows: The Auto Show, Trendmill, Storyboard and Goodlife.
Considered by many to be a “variety” show, Leno shows apart from the witty opening monologue and comedy segments also include celebrity interviews from the famous to the ordinary, musicians to comics, talented pets to the Fruitcake Lady, Jay’s couch sees a lot of action, says a company release.
Offering a change in the menu is AXN newest launch The Shield. Action and adventure channel AXN will launch hard-hitting reality series, revolving around a bizarre concept of morality and ethics, The Shield in India, from 2 November. Every Sunday, the channel will air two episodes of the series, starring Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder and Benito Martinez, back-to-back at 10 pm.
Finally to make the entire platter more delectable is Star World move towards lifestyle segment. The Star’s English entertainment channel will be launching a five-week weekly series, theMilan Fashion Week, scheduled to air on Sundays from 2 November to 30 November at 9:00 pm.
The channel has roped in actor Gauri Karnik, to anchor the Milan Fashion Week. Actor Rahul Bose has been roped in to do a special on mens’ fashion. Canned in a heritage show format, the show trails the anchor who presents the show in a first person format. Karnik will not only be focusing on Tahiliani’s line, she will be getting sound bites from his famous clientele including Kabir Bedi, Nikki Bedi, Jemima Khan, Parmeshwar Godrej, Simi Garewal and Mehr Jessia. That apart, each episode will bring to the viewers a different facet of Milan, its fashion, its essence and the sights and sounds of the international fashion shows.
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.
