News Broadcasting
Star World to air controversial MJ special in April
MUMBAI: Star World is looking to boost its programme profile through the controversial Michael Jackson documentary Living With Michael Jackson. The channel has announced that it will air the show in April.
Documentary filmmaker Martin Bashir, best known for his 1995 interview with Princess Diana in which she first admitted to cheating on her husband, spent eight months as part of the King of Pop’s entourage and has created a documentary that has Michael Jackson furious.
Living With Michael Jackson drew 14 million viewers when it aired in Britain that works out to one in four Britons glued to their television sets.
In the US, ABC, which reportedly bought the documentary for US$5 million, attracted 27.1 million viewers for their Thursday night broadcast, translating into some serious advertising coin for the network.
The fallout from the documentary has been swift and aggressive when Jackson counter-attacked by filing formal complaints with two television watchdog organisations in Britain and then offered footage of Bashir praising his parenting skills to the television networks in the US who have thus far shown no interest in this rebuttal video.
Reacting to the documentary MJ said, “Today I feel more betrayed than perhaps ever before; that someone, who had got to know my children, my staff and me, whom I let into my heart and told the truth, could then sacrifice the trust I placed in him and produce this,” In the US, reaction to the programme has prompted Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred to ask that Child Welfare Services in Santa Barbara investigate Jackson’s behaviour around child guests at Neverland.
On Living With Michael Jackson viewers can expect dirt on Jackson’s predilection with sleeping with children, baby dangling, and $6 million shopping sprees. Other revelations include Jackson snatching his daughter Paris, placenta and all immediately after she was born as well as his denials about having extensive surgery on his face.
Critics have called for those close to Jackson to step in and help the troubled star. The rest of the world is watching the saga unfold in intrigue and bemusement.
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.
