News Broadcasting
Star’s second bouquet channels off Indian Cable Net
MUMBAI: Star India’s second bouquet of channels will not be visible on Indian Cable Net, Kolkata’s largest multi system operator, which was bought out by Siticable earlier this year.
The second Star bouquet includes Star One, Hungama TV and the two Walt Disney channels — Disney Channel and Toon Disney.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, a Star India spokesperson confirmed that the second bouquet of channels would not be available on Indian Cable Net.
When contacted,a senior executive of Siticable stated that the boxes were distributed by Star for promotional activity between the period September to November 2005. This was mainly undertaken to give the feel of the second bouquet of channels.
Pointing out that Siticable later realised that Star was billing them from September onwards only, the Siticable senior executive said over phone from Delhi, “We realised this (billing) was a breach of an understanding reached between MSO and the broadcaster. Since we could not could not pay the subscription money from our own pockets, we decided to return the decoder boxes.”
The executive further pointed out that the Kolkata market was “not ready” for a paid second bouquet of channels. Indian Cable Net has a subscriber base of approximately 300,000 cable homes.
Star’s first bouquet of channels, including Star Plus, however, is available on Indian Cable Net.
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.
