News Broadcasting
Star Plus to premiere ‘Rang De Basanti’ on 20 August
MUMBAI: Star Plus, the leading general entertainment Hindi channel in its endeavor to provide the viewers with compelling entertainment has gone a step further this time, leaving no stone unturned, the channel will celebrate & mark the pride of 59th year of India’s Independence, as it will do the satellite premiere of Bollywood’s biggest box-office grosser and the mega blockbuster movie of the year- Rang De Basanti, on the small screen come Sun, August 20th, at 12.00 p.m.
Rang De Basanti (RDB) a movie, translated into rage-has witnessed the awakening of the country’s spirit & its youth, ever since its launch in January this year. A story full of rebel it actually transcends time & age, and is sure to completely sweep the viewers off their feet, once again as they will get to watch the high-energy drama and a power-packed performed tale, on their telly-tubes this month!
An intense story about a young London based film-maker, who chances upon her grandfather’s diary, once served in the British Police force in India during the years’ of country’s freedom struggle. RDB, evokes a high sense of pride & patriotism, as we watch this foreigner girl’s ordeal together with her unmoved determination to live-up to her grandfather’s dream of making a movie on the five young Indian partisans, of his time. Stirred by the boisterous passion of the young blood, the officer who once wished to document their lives was oblivious to his own life’s plans for him.
Today, in her tryst to fulfill her grandfather’s unmet wish, the granddaughter comes to India’s very own capital–Delhi, to realize her life’s biggest goal, but is left dismayed once again, due to lack of funds to shoot her movie. But, not calling it quits! This indomitable spirit instead decides to casts a group of five young friends from the city’s University itself, to play the historical characters of the five revolutionaries, in her movie.
However the going becomes even tougher as she discovers the aim of these five-young friends is anything but patriotism & self–sacrifice, for them it is all but the subject that should best remain closed in the fat old books of history. They would instead party than be patriots. RDB is the movie which dabbles and draws a parallel contrast between the 1930’s British India and the India of today’s time. The story finds an interesting overlap of time & age, on crucial points, and eventually heads towards a resolution, where the line between past & present blurs, and conjoins itself with the spirit of oneness!
Exhilarated on the movie’s television premiere, quoted Mr. Deepak Segal, Executive Vice President, Content, STAR India Pvt. Ltd., “The satellite premiere of ‘Rang De Basanti’ is yet another endeavor on our part to offer viewers most compelling entertainment, on the small screen. And, we can safely say that this is just the beginning of it! Going forward STAR PLUS is sure to premiere many more satellite premieres of the biggest blockbusters of recent times, as we plan to continue entertainment in the best & the most innovative ways, possible.”
Directed by well-known director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, the movie casts the finest ensemble of talent including-Aamir Khan, Om Puri, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth, Madhavan, Soha Ali Khan, Atul Kulkarni and Waheeda Rehman. Having rocked the nation with its already famous, soul-searching, foot-tapping soundtracks like Rang De Basanti, Khalbali, Luka Chupi and Roobaroo, the music of the movie is composed by the veteran – A.R Rehman, RDB is a must watch as India celebrates its 59th year of Independence, this August.
So stay tuned to colour your spirits in the tricolor of-passion, pride and patriotism. Watch Rang De Basanti on Sunday, August 20th, 12:00 p.m., Only on Star Plus.
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.
