News Broadcasting
Star Movies targets action film buff with ‘Danger Zone’
MUMBAI: With the war to increase channel share heating up among English movie channels, Star Movies has announced a new programming initiative Danger Zone.. Next month, a spate of action oriented films targetting film buffs looking for tele thrills on Sunday evenings are scheduled for airing.
Kicking off the programme initiative this Sunday at 6:15 pm is Fight Club. The film stars Brad Pitt and Edward Norton as two young men who form a club to relieve their frustrations by beating each other to a pulp. Soon it turns into a terrorist organisation targetting the establishment.
On 8 September, Terminator 2 , the futuristic film that won several Oscars when released including one for sound, airs. On 15 September at 6:45 pm, the Tom Cruise spy film Mission Impossible takes centrestage. Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, the point man for the Impossible Missions Force. His latest mission is to prevent a “NOC list” from falling into the hands of an international arms dealer. If placed on the open market, the NOC list would put every United States deep cover agent in danger of exposure.
The schedule is as follows
1 September 6:15 pm Fight Club
8 September – 6:15 pm Terminator 2 Judgement Day
15 September – 6:45 pm Mission Impossible
22 September – 6:45 pm Rambo III
29 September 6:30 pm Ronin
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.
