News Broadcasting
Star Plus voted favourite international channel at Scorpio Multimedia Cable TV Awards in UK
It’s been 18 months since Star Plus started beaming in the UK and it has made its presence felt in the interrim. The jewel in the Star TV crown was voted favourite international channel at the Cable Guide’s fifth annual Cable TV Awards 2002 held last month.
The Cable TV Awards, which are voted for by the UK’s cable subscribers, are seen as a true indicator of the growth and success of the marketplace, an official release states. The Cable Guide Cable TV Awards, which were renamed the Scorpio Multimedia Cable TV Awards this year, saw over 400,000 viewers casting their votes across 19 categories.
Nominations were featured in the May and June issues of Cable Guide and ntl:guide and the winners decided by their readers. Votes were received via ntl:guide, Cable Guide and www.cableguide.co.uk, the release says.
Star Plus won the award edging out two time winner Sony Entertainment Television Asia and French channel TV5. The channel won kudos on the back of programmes such as Kaun Banega Crorepati hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, Kamzor Kadii Kaun hosted by Neena Gupta and numero uno soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi from production house Balaji Telefilms.
V-P business operations in the UK Lisa Srao said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this Award only 18 months after our launch. The cable industry in the UK is a very important one, and our launch across both the Telewest and ntl platforms was a key element of our development in the UK. This award shows that viewers are enjoying the top quality programming that has made Star Plus number 1 in the subcontinent, and they are playing a role in making us number one in the UK too.”
Star Plus and Star News are available on Sky Digital, NTL Home and Telewest Broadband, the release says.
This year’s winners list includes:
1. Favourite drama on cable – ER. In India the show airs on Zee English
2. Favourite comedy on cable – Friends (again on Zee English)
3. Favourite fantasy Sci-Fi Series – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
4. Nickelodeon was voted favourite children’s/teen channel
5. Toon channel Cartoon Network bagged the award for favourite pre-school channel (under-5s)
6. Animated show (First run) went to The Simpsons
7. Favourite comedy or drama first shown on BBC, ITV, C4, C5 – Da Ali G Show
8. MTV’s Cat Deeley was recognised as favourite UK cable personality
9. Favourite shopping channel – QVC
10. Favourite lifestyle channel – UK Style
11. Favourite Sports Channel – Sky Sports 1, 2 and 3
12. The favourite factual/documentary channel category saw Discovery beating out sister channels Discovery Animal Planet and The History Channel
13. Sky News upset BBC News 24 and CNN International for favourite news channel
14. MTV bagged the award for favourite music/arts channel
15. Film buffs voted Sky Movies Premier as their film channel
16. Favourite interactive television site on ntl-home and/or telewest broadband – BBCi
17. International star of stars – Jennifer Aniston who plays Rachel in the sitcom Friends.
18. Discovery’s Clive Anderson was voted as favourite presenter on cable
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.
