News Broadcasting
Will Korea’s ‘Winter Sonata’ woo India?
NEW DELHI: Thus far, it has been Latin American telenovellas that have held Indian audiences in thrall. But the visiting delegations from Korea at the ongoing TV Showcase here would like to believe that the tide will change in favour of Eastern fare soon.
Winter Sonata, a beautifully woven love story that spans generations, has swept television viewers off their feet not just in home country Korea, but also in China, Taiwan, Japan and far flung African nations. Producers KBS are now hoping the hallyu, the tidal wave of Winter Sonata, will also Indian TV screens.
They may well be right. State broadcaster Doordarshan, represented by its international acquisition officials at the Showcase, have expressed their interest in buying the series for telecast. Satellite channels, though not many were present at the Delhi meet, could also be interested in the slow paced but emotionally tightly knit drama that traces the lives of two star struck lovers over the years.
But Winter Sonata is not all that Korea wants to export to India. As Korean Broadcasting Commission head Kyu Sang Cho estimates, the initial offerings that would be lapped up are the documentaries. Drama and innovation would follow later. Among the other offerings that KBS has on its menu for Indian broadcasters to sample is Forbidden Love, a love story between a Gumiho (a legendary creature) and a man, a series interspersed with a lot of futuristic effects.
KBS’ Loving You is about a man who falls in love with the woman who saves his life, and Oh! Feel Young is a wacky love story about a teenager trying to find himself. There are other interesting themes like KBS’ Second Proposal, which is about a woman divorcee who is trying to make a living on her own, after being dumped by her husband in favour of a younger woman.
Documentaries like Human Theater also form part of the repertoire that KBS is trying to interest the Indian market with.
What now remains to be seen is whether India bites the Korean bait.
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.
