News Broadcasting
US broadcaster CBS to introduce Watch! magazine
MUMBAI: US broadcaster CBS has announced that it will publish a new quarterly magazine celebrating the best in televised entertainment, news and sports, as well as DVDs, theme parks and new media.
The initiative kicks off in January 2006. The publication, titled Watch!, will include exclusive interviews, photos, previews and behind-the-scenes features of CBS talent and shows, as well as guides to travel, fashion and living the Hollywood lifestyle.
The debut issue will feature interviews with the stars of the show Two And A Half Men Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer, as well as photos of the host reality show The Amazing Race Phil Keoghan’s recent cross-country road expedition.
As a special feature the maagazine will also have first-person accounts from CBS News correspondents Lesley Stahl and Lee Cowan on covering the biggest stories of the last 25 years, including the Reagan assassination attempt and last year’s tsunami.
Watch! will be distributed freely at CBS show tapings, Paramount Parks and through more than 200 CBS affiliates across the US, debuting with a 400,000 circulation. The magazine is being published by the CBS Communications Group in association with custom publisher McMurry.
CBS Communications Group executive VP Gil Schwartz says, “This is a unique opportunity for us to leverage the access we have as a Network into a fun and insightful celebrity magazine that offers something no one else can – an insider’s perspective. We have assembled some of the most entertaining and compelling content about our talent and shows, and we’re providing it free to the viewing public. Watch! is going to be a highly-readable, enjoyable publication that will strike a chord with TV lovers, as well as a public that’s become grown fascinated by the celebrity life and culture.”
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.
