News Broadcasting
Star Parivar Awards – taking viewer connect to new heights?
MUMBAI: Now this is what is called reel life awards. In possibly a first for television anywhere in the world, India’s lead entertainment channel Star Plus is planning an awards night for the most popular characters (not actors please note) in their top shows.
Viewers’ choice awards will be handed out in a number of categories — for favourite husband, wife, grandfather, grandmother, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, son, sister-in-law.
Star India senior V-P content and communication Tarun Katial told indiantelevision.com that the Star Parivar Awards kick off on Saturday, 14 June with a half-hour nomination special at 8 pm detailing the categories, entry mechanism, anchor tips, etc.
The following four Saturdays (21 June to 12 July) will have Parivar Awards special episodes slotted in the 8-8:30 pm band that will cover public opinions, panel discussions, nominee interviews, producer comments, behind the scenes of shows, viewer reactions and behind the scenes with winners. All episodes, including the awards night event on 5 July, will be hosted by Aman Verma. The 12 july episode will be a post-event wrap-up show.
These are some of the characters viewers will be asked to vote for.
Viewers will be able to vote across 25 categories through mail, the Net, phone lines and SMS. The aim — to select Star Plus’ “first family” (the Star Parivaar) that will comprise the favourite characters from its hit serials.
Star hopes to make this an annual affair, says Katial. And it is putting the considerable weight of its other media platforms (Star News and Radio City) as well as an extensive marketing and PR campaign behind the awards that involves widespread coverage of the event across print media throughout the month of June.
A unique feature of the event are the different families canvassing for “their own” as it were, urging viewers to vote for members of their respective “parivaars”.
Audience participation will not be restricted to just voting. To increase interactivity, the Star Plus team will be airing reactions from viewers on their favourite characters.
As for the “big night itself”, the awards event will be hosted by Aman Verma and Gul Panag and will have performances by the lead characters from the various serials in addition to the usual song and dance routines and “item numbers”.
The question is will all this effort pay dividends in terms of viewer connect? Hark back to Mihir Virani of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and the breast-beating that took place when Hindi entertainment television’s favourite son was “bumped off”. Such was the furore that he was resurructed soon enough. Cut to the man who played the character — Amar Upadhya. When Upadhya upped and left the medium that made him – television – for the glitz and glamour of Bollywood, there was nary a flutter in the Hindi hausfrau’s heart.
Working on that logic, a Star Parivar Awards would do that something extra to get viewers even more involved with the characters in their favourite shows. And with all the uncertainties that the post-CAS scenario is throwing up, it might just make the Star Plus connect that crucial bit more embedded in the consciousness of Hindi-speaking audiences. The tag line for the event sums it up well — “Aap Ka Parivaar… Star Parivaar” (your family… Star family).
Is it just a coincidence that the last episode (on 12 July) of the Star Parivar Awards series airs just two days before the CAS rollout deadline of 14 July? Maybe, maybe not.
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.
