News Broadcasting
Star News encapsulates highs & lows for festive time
Star news claims to have achieved a double whammy on the Masand ki Pasand Diwali special with Lata Mangeshkar and Sushmita Sen being the invitees.
While Lataji would be singing sings her favourite film song on Saturday, 13 November 2004 at 8:30 pm, Sushmita would light up on rumoured affairs, says the release. And an action packed special, Red Alert will feature a half hour special on 'Eunuch Impostors' – boys posing as girls, with civil society counting them amongst the eunuch community, on Saturday, 13 November, 2004 at 11:30 pm.
In the weekend that sees the re-release of K Asif's evergreen epic romance Mughal-e-Azam and Yash Chopra's contemporary cross-border love-story Veer Zaara, Rajeev Masand aims to cash on the topicality by interviewing the voice behind both Madhubala, in Mughal-e-Azam and Preity Zinta in Veer Zaara.
Lata Mangeshkar would be talks about her reputation as a difficult and unapproachable artiste, the Bollywood actresses she feels her voice suits best, and expresses her opinion on the need for cultural exchange between India and Pakistan.
On the other hand no-holds-barred, Masand will have a tete-a-tete with the vivacious Sushmita Sen, who addresses rumours of her alleged affair with a married industrialist and confesses to how she feels about arch rival Aishwarya Rai finding a place at London's Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.
While Red Alert exposes the agony of these fake eunuchs who lead a double life with ironic physical attributes knows no end, says the release.
This community of 'fake eunuchs' was brought under the limelight when one among them, Hemraj, was brutally murdered by two of his colleagues in South Delhi recently, adds the release.
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.
