News Broadcasting
Spate of new shows on Star from July
Don’t look, it’s changing.
In another fortnight, Star Plus is all set to roll out some fresh programming, calculated to lull the devout and hook the soap addict, and tickle the couch potato’s curiosity with a re-packaged comedy.
A still from Gurukul
In a marked departure from the usual mytho fare, the channel has decided to devote Sunday mornings to religion, mythology and culture, with three new shows from 7 July. Jai Mata Ki at 9 am brings Hema Malini back to the small screen as Mata Bhubaneshwari donning various avatars including those of Durga, Saraswati, Laxmi, Gauri and Jagdamba.
Yatra, up next at 10 am, has model-actor Deepti Bhatnagar donning the role of producer, director and anchor as she takes viewers to various pilgrim centers in India and even allows them a view of the sanctum, where prayers and rituals are regularly performed. Star has managed to get melody queen Lata Mangeshkar to sing the title song of Yatra, which has been penned by Manoj Muntashir and composed by Roop
A still from Kehta Hai Dil
Kumar. Gurukul, the third of the Sunday package, is a show that is ‘packed with inspiring tales of ancient Indian civilization, told through Upanishads, Vedas, palmistry and the Gita’.the series will shed light on little know aspects of Indian civilization, age old temples, saints and parables and myths, says the channel.
According to Star Plus senior VP programming Tarun Katial, the shows are designed to bring solace to jaded souls bogged down by stress, fatigue and deadlines during the week gone by.
A still from Kumkum…Asoka, the series that winds up end June, will be replaced by Kehta Hai Dil, a weekly show from the UTV stable that will address different issues like dowry, teenage infatuation and bigamy at a social and emotional level. The cast of this show that probes the ‘mindset of the majority’, includes current small screen icons Aman Verma, Ram Kapoor and Gautami Gadgil and will air every Tuesday at 9 m.
And for those who thought the lather on the soap was wearing thin, Star is working up a fresh one. Kumkum – Pyara sa bandhan, a new mondays to Thursdays afternoon show, has all
the hit ingredients of popular soaps distilled into
one. It’s all about a close knit family, the
Deepti Bhatnagar in Yatra
favourite daughter in law, emotional conflict, business tangles, illegitimate children and terminal illness – all rolled into one. With not a single element of the classic Indian soap opera left out, this one should score bull’s eye with viewers. Directed by Sanjay Upadhyay and Neelima Bajpai and produced by Anuradha Prasad, Kumkum, starring Juhi Parmar (who played the lead in Shaheen), Hussain ( Chirag in Kyunkii) and others will go on air from 3.30 pm on 15 July.
Hema Malini in Jai Mata Ki..
Krishna Sharma c.a, the weekly comedy on Star Plus too is readying for change. Commening with a change in name – its now Krishna Arjun, the show comes in a new format – concept, packaging and cast. Krishna (Shraddha Nigam) is now to be joined by Arjun (Hussain) to make up a savvy investigative team, a la Remington Steele. The channel says the new series is racier and highly stylished, with each story broken up into two or three 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.
