News Broadcasting
Star Gold launches ‘Gold Premiere’
MUMBAI: It’s been a very good year for Star Gold, so far. Or so they claim. The Hollywood dubbed movies feat aside, the movie channel is looking at firming up its line up with new innovations like the Pepsi Gold Sabse Favourite Kaun, and the latest one Gold Premiere.
Having charted a good course for itself this year as well, the movie channel says it is ready to train its guns against the big guns. Channel shares, according to Tam data, have grown over 54 per cent this year.
Besides the new programming initiative, the next big dubbed movie to premier on the channel will be the Russell Crowe blockbuster Gladiator.
Source: TAM, Channel Shares, C&S 4+, Wk 21-24 of 2003 & 2004,
Hindi Speaking Markets (as applicable for the period Wk21-24/03)
Gold Premiere is a tie-up with movie makers to enable viewers to watch a full 15 minutes of the film, prior to its release in theatres. According to Star India senior VP content and communications Deepak Segal, “The attempt is to come up with a curtain raiser that is bigger than a trailer or a preview of the film.”
Starting this week on Thursday, 8 July at 8 pm, the first movie to be shown is the Salman Khan starrer Garv. Star Gold has tied up with the film as its official TV partner for promotions on the channel.
Besides enabling the viewers to watch 15 minutes of the film one day before it is released in theatres, the half hour weekly will also have Shilpa Shetty and Arbaaz Khan – Salman’s co-stars in the film – anchoring the show and offering some information about the film, without revealing the climax of course.
In a bid to popularise the band, the channel has organised a contest too. The winners will win tickets for the star-studded Sunday premiere by sending an SMS to 7827. While the contest is will be on air from 1 to 7 July, Star Gold will also present Proud 2B Salman – a Salman Khan Film Festival from 5 to 9 July everyday at 4:30 pm. The films that will be screened during this festival are Hello Brother on 5 July, Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge on 6 July, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya on 7 July, Biwi No. 1 on 8 July and Auzaar on 9 July.
The next movie titles for the Gold Premier are Rajiv Rai’s Asambhav and Tarzan – The Wonder Car.
Source: TAM, Base: C&S 4+, Week 1/2003 to Wk 24/2004
Channel Shares, Hindi Speaking Markets
With the addition of the new programming initiatives, the channel hopes to build on the success of its earlier launches like the Sunday afternoon countdown show Startoons, Maya and award show PSGSFK. “We received about 450,000 entries for the contest around PGSFK. It became as popular because I think we offered something different to the audience that has been satiated with the usual award shows,” offered a company spokesperson.
Whether the line up can combat the powerful competition is a matter for speculation. But the channel sure has come a long way from it’s struggling for a recall status days.
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.
