News Broadcasting
Star Gold announces social project ‘Rang De Basanti Salaam’
MUMBAI: After last year’s Project Swades, Star Gold has announced its flagship social initiative for the year, Rang De Basanti Salaam. The project is aimed at rewarding those ordinary people, who might be strangers to us but have kept the spirit of heroism alive.
Rang De Basanti Salaam will honour those unsung heroes who have risen above and beyond their everyday lives. It will honour individuals whose actions have impacted their community at large. The initiative salutes individuals who reached out to touch another person’s life and unknowingly changed it forever, states an official release.
Star India, Marketing, Satya Raghavan says, “India in the last year has faced a number of catastrophes. The country has emerged as a winner against terror and attacks. We have proved to the world that we as people have enough of compassion and humanity to wash away the trauma and suffering. All of this would not be possible without the support of fearless and undaunted people, which Star Gold acknowledges though the Rang De Basanti Salaam.”
Kicking off the initiative, Star has invited entries from individuals who know of unsung heroes under the age of 30 from 22 August 2006. Entries can be sent in by telephone Landline BSNL- 1255578, Mobile BSNL – 127827, or by logging on to www.Indya.com. The last date for entries is 3 September 2006. A panel of judges will select 10 most impactful entries, informs the release.
Star Gold will telecast a special episode narrating these 10 stories. Viewers from all over the country can give their respect to the unsung heroes via SMS. The money collected from all the SMS received will be equally divided between the 10 heroes. The initiative will culminate with the telecast of Rang De Basanti on the channel on 2 October.ks India (SPN) realigns key portfolios
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.
