News Broadcasting
Zeel relaunches Zindagi with new shows; dual audio feed
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s alternative Hindi GEC Zindagi, as announced earlier, is going in for a refresh. And in its new avatar Zindagi is rolling out a programming line up consisting of South Korean, Latin American, Spanish Italian, Turkish and home grown Indian shows from 3 October. For the first time, it will be available with a dual audio feed – in English and Hindi.
In another innovation, the channel will be streamed live on Periscope, along with the live television feed.
The channel has garbaged the Pakistani shows for which it has been known. The new programs include a light-hearted Turkish drama, ‘Little Lord’ at 7.30 pm, which is an endearing tale of a parent-child relationship seen through the lens of a six year old, Mehmet. And, the Turkish blockbuster Fatmagul is the story of an innocent girl whose fairytale life is turned into a nightmare when she is raped and is forced to marry the accused will continue to entertain viewers at 9.00 PM.
Three Indian originals that push societal thinking are being introduced. These include a rip-roaring comedy by Sunjoy Wadhwa’s Sphere Origins’ titled ‘TV Ke Uss Paar’ at 8.30 pm that is a tongue-in-cheek sitcom on the world of daily soaps and a reality check on how today’s society is obsessed with television. The three endearing romances from India includes Anupam Kher’s first fiction production on TV called ‘Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par’ that will air at 10.00 pm and produced by his company, An Actor Prepares.
It is the story of a 24 year old boy, Arya, who leaves behind his girlfriend, Niyati, and his family to come to Bombay to fulfill his dream of being a star! Gulshan Sachdeva’s Film & Shots has produced the next love story, ‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ to air at 7.00 pm. It centres around the journey of a rich Delhi girl, Neema, who marries a simple, middle class boy, Ravi, much against her father’s wishes and how they deal with her meddling father.
After the phenomenal success of Feriha, Zindagi will soon premiere its second season. Coming soon for the movie buffs on Sunday, ‘Zindagi Awesomes’ will feature the most iconic films that have defined Indian cinema.
Since launch, Zindagi has garnered discerning and premium audiences. A press release states that it has maintained its No 1 premium entertainment channel position over the past 27 weeks with 710 average GTVTs. (Source: BARC Alpha Club ratings; TG: NCCS A1, 6 Metros, Period: WK5’ To WK 32’2016, AV GTVTs).
It originally began as a channel aimed at building creative ties between India and Pakistan.
“We at Zee, have tried for the past 24 years to bridge the gap, however, the one-way street is not working. We at Zindagi want to respect the sentiments of our viewers, and of our country. It’s an unfortunate decision we had to take to stop all programming from Pakistan,” said ZEE & Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra. “Zindagi has been the reason for the rise of a number of stars from Pakistan but when we requested them to at least condemn the attacks without naming their country, none of them came forward.”
Added ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said: “Zindagi presents finite world stories with bold narratives which unveil universal emotions. What sets the channel apart is its consistent commitment to show finite, real, vibrant, and premium world stories. The channel’s positioning ’Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi’ does justice to the brilliant brand name, and mirrors the essence of the word Zindagi.”
A robust marketing campaign is planned around digital and traditional media like print, cinema, DTH, TV, and OOH to push the new promise of Zindagi. It is being initiated with a simple yet thought provoking catchphrase ‘#ZindagiKehtiHai’ that is designed to create conversation around people’s life, or “Zindagi.’ And finally a high impact road block has been planned across the 33 channels of the Zee Network on 30 September
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.
