News Broadcasting
Star agrees to change StarOne logo
NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court has observed that Star India should change the logo of its new channel (launching 1 November) from “One” to “Star One”.
Star India has agreed to make the change from the present one (with a Star visual inside the alphabet ‘o’) to StarOne as suggested by the Delhi High Court. The HC, however, did not pass any injunction against the Rupert Murdoch company as regards the channel’s launch.
Sahara India Mass Communications had petitioned the High Court seeking to restrain Star from using the ‘One’ brand name as it had been registered and is used by Sahara for all its media and entertainment properties, including the Hindi entertainment channel.
The Delhi HC today said though Star can go ahead with its planned launch of the new channel from 1 November, in the initial period it would have to write the word ‘Star’ prominently before ‘One’ in the logo as also flash it thrice every hour to highlight the brand name as Star One.
Asked for comments on today’s developments, a Star spokesperson declined to say anything, indicating the case was still sub-judice.
Though Star India counsel Arun Jaitley sought three months time to complete the process of a change in the logo, in deference to the court’s suggestion, the final word on the transition period would be said on 1 November when another round of hearing is scheduled.
On 25 October, Sahara had moved the court seeking legal protection against Star using ‘One’ brand name for a new Hindi entertainment channel targeted at an upmarket audience.
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.
