News Broadcasting
Vijay TV to air star lit event as New Year special
CHENNAI:Netru Indru Nalai , an event organized by The Banyan, a non government organisation working with mentally unstable destitute women in Chennai, is scheduled to be shown as a new year special on 1 January 2003 on Vijay TV.
The event which took place on 14 December 2002, was attended by some of the biggest stars of Kollywood such as Kamal Hassan, Simran, Sneha, Ramya Krishnan, Rambha, SP Balasubramaniam, Yesudas, Srinivas, Karthik, Suresh Peters, Sujatha, Chinmayi to name a few, is slated to be one of the most successful events of the year.
The event was anchored by Suhasini Manirathnam, Revathy and Vijay Adiraj and had performances by Rambha, Simran and Ramya Krishnan and Star’s girl band Viva, states a release. S P Balasubramaniam and Yesudas contributed to the cause by taking the audience on a nostalgic trip through the music of yesteryears and Kamal Hassan gave a preview of his forthcoming movie Anbe Sivam by rendering its title song, says an official release.
The essence of the show was the Banyan Anthem penned by the Vairamuthu, one of the most versatile and leading lyricists of Tamil cinema, and set to tune by Srinivas and sung by a kingdom of singers holding lit diyas to signify the solemnity of the event.
According to the release, the fund-raiser event will help Banyan to provide shelter, care and medical and psychiatric services for its inmates.
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.
