News Broadcasting
Soprano’s fifth season debut ratings down from fourth season
MUMBAI: It has been over a year since The Sopranos were seen in the US. That could explain why the ratings for the first episode of the fifth season fell short of what the fourth season accomplished.
A report in the Washington Post indicated that household ratings for last Sunday’s fifth-season debut fell by as much as 25 per cent in the metered markets, compared with the fourth-season debut on 15 September 2002. The metered markets cover about 70 per cent of the US.
The debut episode was seen by 12.1 million people stated another report in Eonline. Nielsen Media Research data indicated that the mafia drama outdrew the other broadcast network offerings except for NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent . That had 15 million viewers. In India The Sopranos has for some time now been a staple of Zee English.
The 2002 season opener was seen by 13.4 million people. However HBO was quoted in an AP report saying that it had been informed that Nielsen’s 2002 figures also included people watching its spinoff networks, such as HBO Signature and HBO2. Therefore the above mentioned figure could be inaccurate.
The report added that while Law & Order beat The Sopranos one needed to remember the fact that HBO is only available in about 30 per cent of the US’ television homes. The report adds that for the week 1-7 March Fox’s American Idol on Tuesday topped the charts with 25.5 million viewers. This is followed by two CBS shows. Survivor All-Stars was seen by 23.3 million people while CSI atracted 22.7 million viewers. In India this show airs on AXN.
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.
