News Broadcasting
Zee debuts 15th series of ‘Kabhie Kabhie
MUMBAI: Seems like the short story format is working well for Zee. The channel will be debuting the 15th series of Kabhie-Kabhie, the weekly three part short story series on the channel.
The series of three episodes, Mamata will start airing on 15 January at 8 pm.
Starring Varsha Usgaonkar, Vaishnavi and Sooraj Thapar, Mamata is the story of a divorcee mother torn between career and motherhood.
According to a company release, Mamata is the story of Meghana (Varsha Usgaonkar), a divorcee mother who is trying to raise her son Rahul single-handedly. Unable to devote attention to both her son and her career, she hires a nanny Chandani (Vaishnavi). Unknown to Meghana, Chandani hails from a well off family who has volunteered to take care of the child, unable to have one of her own.
So while Meghana works towards building a career, her son is taken care of. Meanwhile, she develops an emotional bond with her boss Varun (Sooraj Thapar) after he helps her to win the custody of her son.
On the other hand, Chandani and her husband offer to adopt Rahul, an offer that is is turned down by Meghana, much to the Rahul’s disapproval. The series’ climax revolves around whether Meghana finally gives up Rahul to Chandani or decides to look after him herself.
Zee officials inform that although the show isn’t one of the channel top rankers, it has helped consolidate its position in weekend viewership.
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.
