News Broadcasting
Yashwant Sinha to anchor people’s show on Zee News
MUMBAI: Zee News has a unique show up its sleeve. The channel has roped in former finance minister Yashwant Sinha to anchor a show on its channel. The show, which promises to be a ‘people oriented show’, will go on air by mid-May. And as the buzz goes, Sinha will be playing a roving reporter for the channel by traveling across the country, interviewing people from the nooks and corners of India.
Elaborating on the thought behind the show, programming head Alka Saxena says, “The former finance minister takes on the role of a reporter in the show. For every episode he’ll choose a category or a section of society like say farmers, bureaucrats, shopkeepers or for that matter even say peons or maids. And the whole episode will revolve around what that particular section of society has to say.”
The show promises to cut across all TGs and is broadly divided into three sections. The first segment will talk about the problems of that particular section of society; the second segment will take a slightly personal look at that particular community and the third section will get their views on any policy decision. Like for example the episode on shopkeepers had them expressing their views on VAT. The question posed will be general as well as personal.
On being queried on why the channel has gone ahead with Sinha as the anchor, Saxena replies, “He had earlier on anchored a programme `Captains of India’ on Zee Business for us which gave us a very good response. Also, Sinha has been a lecturer and a bureaucrat earlier and comes from a family with very strong grassroots. So, because of his background the show has a very rustic feel and its like a `neta going to the janta’ and wanting to listen to their problems.”
About seven episodes of the show have been shot for which Sinha has traveled by public transport to interact closely with people. Says Saxena, “There have been times when people in the villages have been totally spellbound by Sinha’s personality. Also, we definitely have been able to get people to talk about their problems.”
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.
