News Broadcasting
US women’s network Oxygen is following an unconventional path
MUMBAI: US women’s network Oxygen is looking to innovate with its most ambitious development slate to date for 2007
The network is collaborating with producers such as Lynda Obst, Working Title Television, Lionsgate Television, Escape Artists, September Films, Lovespell, Fox TV Studios, and New Line Television for a diverse mix of comedy and reality series and original films.
Projects that have gone to pilot for the network include Once More With Feeling The reality series takes peoples big announcements and turns them into Broadway caliber musical productions.
Capitol Hill Girls is a docu-soap that focusses on the lives of young women working on Capitol Hill. Tease is a competition reality series in which world renowned hair stylists compete against talented challengers.
Other projects in development include the animated series Angry Little Girls from Hollywood actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. Then there is a single camera comedy series Bastards! from Fox TV Studios, an hour long series of Robin Hudson Mysteries from Lynda Obst, limited drama series Serial from Lionsgate and original film MK Ultra.
In addition to these new projects, Oxygen is gearing up for a premiere packed summer of new original programming. In June, the channel premieres The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, a reality series that chronicles the exploits of Americas Over the Top Supermodel, Janice Dickinson, as she launches her own modeling agency.
Banshee is a movie starring Taryn Manning in the title role as a car thief on the run from a killer whose car she has stolen. In July, Oxygen premieres MoNiques F.A.T. Chance; the second annual beauty competition for plus sized women. In August comes a reality series Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty and there’s Fight Girls, a reality movie that features the countrys best female fighters as they train to compete with the toughest women on earth in a battle for the Muay Thai World Championship.
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.
