News Broadcasting
Star News expands morning band with ‘Pehli Khabar’
MUMBAI: Starting 9 January, Star News will overhaul its morning news band by launching Pehli Khabar from 5 am to 8 am. With the aim of building on Star Savera, the channel has expanded its morning band.
With this variation, the channel will telecast its branded show Star Savera from 8 am to 11 am, which initially aired at 6:30 am to 9 am. Good Morning India show, which aired on Star News (NDTV was then providing content to Star News) had paved the way for the launch of breakfast news.
Star News has designed the wake-up news keeping in mind that its audience will receive fresh slice of news. Pehli Khabar will provide news from across the world and also provide a first glimpse of all the events and happenings that unfolded the night before. The new arrangement has been designed, at least in part, to broaden the morning news band scope with general news stories that appeal the audience.
Star Savera will look forward at the day ahead and delve into the news focussing on people, sports, crime, politics, civic life and the general buzz.
Star News CEO Uday Shankar says “We felt that starting a fresh broadcast at 6.00am was too late since most alive & health conscious urban Indians are up and about much before. Pehli Khabar is an attempt to connect them with their world just as their day begins. The shift in programming scheduling is in line with the evolving news consumption habits of viewers”
He further added that there has been a ‘need gap that existed’, which prompted the network to initiate in filling the space.
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.
