News Broadcasting
Zee 24 Taas makes noise with Ganpati coverage that wins viewer devotion
MUMBAI: When Maharashtra welcomed its favourite elephant-headed god this year, Zee 24 Taas ensured no modak went unshared and no mandap went unseen. The channel rolled out wall-to-wall coverage of Ganesh Utsav 2025, blending ritual, revelry and reportage into a festival broadcast that stretched from the narrowest lanes of Pune to the furthest corners of the world.
The scale was nothing short of spectacular. With live, on-ground reporting from major mandals across urban centres and rural outposts, Zee 24 Taas captured the devotion, colour and cultural vibrancy of the state’s most celebrated festival. Viewers not only saw the grandeur of Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja and Pune’s Dagdusheth Halwai mandal but also felt the pulse of smaller towns, where local communities brought their own flair to the festivities.
And it wasn’t just Maharashtra tuning in. Through robust digital-first initiatives, including live streaming, interactive updates, mobile feeds and social media engagement, the coverage reached audiences across six continents, making it a truly global Ganesh Utsav. Diaspora viewers joined in real time, watching rituals, immersions and mandal visits unfold alongside political developments and community stories.
Zee 24 Taas also went beyond just visuals, curating special programming that delved into the history, traditions and evolving practices of Ganesh Chaturthi. From exploring how eco-friendly celebrations are reshaping idol-making to telling stories from rural Maharashtra, the shows added depth, giving the festival both cultural context and contemporary relevance. Citizen voices, community stories and ground-level experiences further enriched the mix, ensuring the coverage felt participatory rather than just observational.
Brands, too, took note. Leading advertisers partnered with the channel to tap into millions of festive viewers, leveraging Zee 24 Taas’ reputation as Maharashtra’s most trusted news destination. Even amid major political events dominating headlines, the channel balanced hard news with devotional fervour keeping audiences informed without diluting the festival spirit.
The channel’s leadership called it a defining moment. managing editor Kamlesh Sutar described Ganesh Utsav as “a reflection of Maharashtra’s culture, traditions and collective spirit” and praised the team for capturing both the energy of the celebrations and the news pulse of the state. Meanwhile ZMCL CEO Karan Abhishek Singh pointed out how the coverage underscored the network’s commitment to immersive, accurate and engaging journalism extending from television to mobile screens.
By uniting festival storytelling with timely reportage and global digital integration, Zee 24 Taas has set a new benchmark for what festival journalism can look like. This year’s Ganpati wasn’t just covered, it was celebrated, streamed and shared across the globe. And in the process, Zee 24 Taas showed why, in Maharashtra, it remains the channel where devotion meets credible journalism.
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.
