News Broadcasting
TV9 Bangla Nakshatra Samman salutes Bengal’s real heroes
Mumbai: The recently concluded Nakshatra Samman, organised by TV9 Bangla at ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata, aims to honour the real heroes of Bengal on a global scale. Those belonging to the various disciplines like Academics, Arts, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Films, Literature, performing arts, Philanthropy, Medicine, Music, Science, Space, Sports, and Theatre have contributed to society at large but may not appear to be in the limelight to that extent as it should have been. On this occasion, TV9 Bangla grabs the opportunity to bolster TV9 Network’s Nav Nakshatra Samman, the prestigious and remarkable award show known for its exclusiveness across the Southern states of India, brings Nakshatra (Bengali pronunciation as Nakkhatra) Samman in the East for the first time in the history.
The honourable presence of the TV9 Network MD Barun Das has made this occasion remarkable. His bestowing ‘Nakshatra Samman’ for the Lifetime Achievements of the most-acclaimed heroes creates history in the Bengali news television channel industry.
The recipients of TV9 Bangla Nakshatra Samman for Lifetime Excellence Awards are as follows:
Literature- Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
Sports- Jhulan Goswami
Arts- Jogen Chowdhury
Music – Ajay Chakraborty
Theatre- Shabitri Chatterjee
Philanthropy- Ramkrishna Mission
Magic- PC Sorcar
Elocution- Jaganatha Basu & Urmimala Basu
Medicine- Prof. Dr. Sukumar Mukherjee
Besides these, those who have made an indelible mark in society for their outstanding and noble deeds for this year are as follows:
1. Science & Space- Amitava Ghosh
2. Poet- Joy Goswami
3. Entrepreneurship- Chandrasekhar Ghosh
Economy- Sanjiv Sanyal
Nevertheless, TV9 Bangla has attributed to felicitate the five superwomen who have defeated the evils in society by facing challenges thereby making a remarkable contribution and inspiring an exemplary figure, named Annya Durga that also is a prelude to the upcoming Durga Puja Festivities empowering womanhood.
Anya Durga- Shanti Rai
Anya Durga- Jyotsna She
Anya Durga- Parbati Jana
Anya Durga- Neha Chik Boriak
Anya Durga- Piyali Basak
This year’s Vishesh Samman has been conferred to Mursalim Shaikh for his heroic feat. This brave 12-year-old son of a migrant labourer has saved hundreds of passengers’ lives by averting the Tripura-Bound Kanchenjunga Express train from mishap.
TV9 Bangla Nakshatra Samman Co-presented by SRMB and Co-powered by Sunrise Mashla, Indian Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), Sobisco, Chanakya University and Katha O Kahini has lists of sponsors as follows:
Broadband Partner- Alliance Broadband
Gold Plated Jewellery Partner- Rumpa Jewellery
Skincare Partner- Oshea
Fashion Partner- Sriniketan
Knowledge Partner- Sister Nivedita University (SNU)
Food Partner- Lalbaba Rice
Special Partner- Zinthol
Special Partner- Narayana
Fragrance Partner- Wild Stone
Associate Partner- Cycle Agarbatti
Hospital Partner- AMRI Salt Lake
Print Partner- Sangbad Pratidin
Radio Partner- Red FM
Watch the Nakshatra Samman this Saturday, 7 October from 6 pm onwards exclusively on TV9 Bangla.
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.
