News Broadcasting
Vijay TV brings ‘KBC’ in Tamil
MUMBAI: Now you can catch King Khan mouthing the words ‘Vanakkam; neengal parthukondu irupadhu Kaun Banega Crorepathi’. Star Plus’ Kaun Banega Crorepati will be dubbed in Tamil and telecast on Vijay TV for its Tamil viewers starting 23rd January.
Auditions for the dubbing artistes on the show are on in full swing. The search for SRK’s Tamil dubbing artiste is also to be finalised, a company release sates.
Says Vijay TV general manager Ravinath Menon, “The question promos are on high rotation on Vijay TV giving Tamil viewers equal opportunity to be part of the show. We hope, in this season, we will see more Tamil viewers get into the hot seat with Shah Rukh and play for the highest prize money. We are also planning different interactive plug-ins around the Tamil version to make it more interesting to Vijay viewers.”
The show starts 23 January and will be telecast from Tuesday to Friday at 7pm, a time band that was popularized by the channel’s successful show Swamy Iyappan. Advertising clients lining up include Airtel, Hyundai, Motorola, KRBL, HDFC Standard Life, Univercell and Cadbury.
The release quotes Univercell Telecommunications managing director Satish Babu as saying, “KBC and SRK are two big brands with immense popularity; more so as Shahrukh Khan takes on the role of the Big B, the expectations and interest levels are that much higher; especially among the youth. Vijay TV with its differentiated and innovative programming is the right platform for Univercell to be a part of.”
KBC will be supported by an extensive on ground campaign spread across various media; with hoardings in Chennai and a road show in three cities; Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. Specially designed KBC merchandise will be distributed to its active audience during the road activity.
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.
