News Broadcasting
Star News lines up year-end bonanza
MUMBAI: Star News is gearing up for the New Year and lined up a set of innovative programmes. Amongst the shows to watch out for are Deewar – featuring the most prominent relationship fallouts of 2004; Kiski Khuli Pol and Kiski Khulegi Pol – featuring the best of the trendsetting Pol Khol; Telang ki Tasveer – notable events of 2004 literally drawn out in cartoons; and a unique concept in the form of a nationwide viewer poll titled Zero No 1.
The year end specials on Star News will offer a special perspective on the year that was, while also offering a prediction on the year that will be. To round it off, viewers will also have their own say in crowning the ‘unfortunate’ misses of this year.
Deewar: The year 2004 witnessed more than its fair share of relationship fallouts in politics, business, sports and entertainment. Instance being the Gandhi-Bachchan estrangement and the even now unfolding saga of the Ambani brothers. Deewar, will be aired from 27 – 31 December at 8.30 pm and will feature some of the most significant and high profile fallouts that kept the nation engaged in 2004.
Kiski Khuli Pol and Kiski Khulegi Pol: This show is based on the popular satirical show hosted by Shekhar Suman – Pol Khol. Kiski Khuli Pol, will be a one-hour special and will be aired on 1 January, 2005 at 10 pm and will present the best of Pol Khol 2004. Meanwhile, Kiski Khulegi Pol will look forward at 2005 and showcase the events most likely to feature in Pol Khol. This will air on 2 January, 2005 at 10 pm.
Telang Ki Tasveer: Touted as an ‘out-of-the-box’ concept, this show will feature notable events of 2004 ‘drawn out’ in the form of cartoons by cartoonist Sudhir Telang and will air as special capsules within Star Savera and Desh Videsh on 31 December.
Zero No. 1: Star News will seek the people’s vote to crown this year’s biggest misses on Zero No. 1, which is a unique show that will feature the year’s biggest ‘would-be hits who missed’ from different spheres. The viewers can cast their votes on personalities from different fields whose fortunes nose-dived on the promise of a strong showing due to some unfortunate turn of events. This is an interactive exercise designed to voice the people’s view where the viewers will crown 2004’s Zero No. 1 and will be telecast from 20 – 31 December.
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.
