News Broadcasting
Star News forays into merchandising; launches books
MUMBAI: Star News is foraying into merchandising. As part of its merchandising and brand extension, Star News, in association with Star India Licensing and Merchandising division, has launched three books that predict the future of 2008.
This partnership between Star India Licensing and Merchandising and Star News will develop a line of publishing products based on the popular shows, under its Star Publishing initiative.
MCCS VP marketing Yogesh Manwani said, “This is our first venture in the merchandising business. We will be soon rolling out some more products to extend our brand.”
“This is yet another first-of-its-kind initiative in Hindi news television by MCCS along with the licensing and merchandising expertise of Star India. And there are more such initiatives in the pipeline,” he added.
The three books launched by Star News include Tarot 2008, Astrology 2008 and Numerology 2008. The books are based on the show Teen Deviyaan that forecasts fortunes using three different clairvoyant methods.
Tarot 2008 is written by Munisha Khatwani; Astrology 2008 by Meera Mahajan, and Numerology 2008 by Shelly Gupta. The books are being distributed by Prakash Books India Private Limited.
The book contains predictions for 2008 based on the individual predictive method. Viewers can refer to the book for queries or questions and get an opinion on their stars.
Star Licensing and Merchandising is the newly formed division of Star India Pvt. Ltd. and is involved in the business of development of Star intellectual property with partners across categories. Besides books on Star News shows, Star Publishing is also creating several titles on shows across the network including novels, comics, cookery, travel, style guides, children’s books and others. Yet another brand launched by the division is Star Parivaar, a brand that targets women offering a range of apparel, accessories, home and lifestyle products.
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.
