News Broadcasting
Nickelodeon pulls out all stops to celebrate Christmas
MUMBAI: It’s that time of the season, where one is merry and enjoys the warm and fluffy holiday feeling. True to the festive spirit, Nickelodeon kicked off its holiday programming with a month full of Christmas specials, including Motu Patlu Movie, Dora Live Theatrical, ‘Nick Lift your Gift’ contest, Christmas specific episodes and much more. To celebrate the festival in ‘Nick’ style, the stylish Mandira Bedi joined Nickelodeon to make Christmas even more ‘Nickdaar’!
On the programming front, Nick is all set to air a ‘Christmas Special Episode’ of the awesome twosome Motu and Patlu on 25thDecember at 6 pm. Motu and Patlu take on another comic expedition, this time rescuing the ‘Real Santa Claus’ from the hands of the devil and bringing him to their home, Furfuri Nagariya. Adding to the celebration, Nick will premiere a Christmas special movie titled ‘Motu Patlu – Mission Moon’ on 25th December at 11am, where the duo travel to the moon to fight with the evil scientist who is proving to be dangerous to Mother Earth.
To announce the Christmas specials, the hilarious duo staged a live theatrical performance in Mumbai. Enacting the Christmas episode with some rib-tickling antics, Motu Patlu also had the gorgeous mummy, Mandira Bedi, as the special guest at Furfuri Nagariya, who danced to the tunes of Motu Patlu theme song and joined the audience in the celebrations.
Commenting on the Christmas special initiatives, Nina Elavia Jaipuria – EVP & Business Head, Kids Cluster, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. says, “Nickelodeon dons the Santa hat this holiday season to entertain and engage kids of all age groups across platforms. From comic books, to a television show, 70 minutes movies and digital games, the Motu Patlu franchise has come a long way and promises to entertain kids this Christmas as well. It’s a pleasure to have Mandira Bedi join us in the celebrations, as she is a true representation of a smart and caring Nickelodeon Mother.”
Commenting on the occasion, the Multi Talented Mother of One, Mandira Bedi said, “Christmas is around the corner and nothing could be better than to celebrate it with children and watch a live adaptation of a famous television show. I have grown up reading Motu Patlu comics and I thoroughly enjoyed their live stage performance today. In fact, I am definitely going to spend my Christmas watching the Motu Patlu movie and the special episode on the 25th, you should watch it too.”
Nick is further engaging it’s viewers with the ‘Nick Lift Your Gift’ contest, running throughout the Christmas holidays. The channel is calling out to kids to participate in the contest by simply watching the two popular shows, Motu Patlu and Pakdam Pakdai, between 6 pm and 7 pm every day and spot the gift on the screen. Participants have to send the name of the gift to win PSPs, iPods, mobile phones and much more daily. To participate, one can log on to www.nickindia.com or SMS or use IVRS. [For participating via SMS, contestants have to send SMS ‘Nick’ <space> Option A or B <space> Your Name to 56882. One can also dial 5056882 from Vodafone, Aircel, Airtel, Idea, Reliance, Tata mobile & Airtel Landline or dial 1255568 From BSNL Landline, mobile & MTNL mobile.
Joining Nick in celebrating the holiday season is the action-adventure channel Sonic, which will air content that brings the best of action, thrill and comedy. In the month long celebrations, Sonic will air some very popular shows like Supa Strikers, Power Rangers Super Samurai and Zatchbell, along with other on-going power-packed shows. There’s more! The famous Nicktoon Keymon Ache, along with his friend Rohan, takes a ride to an obscure plant to rescue Nani in the ‘Keymon & Nani in Space Adventure’ movie, airing on the channel on 25th December at 9 am.
Taking the Christmas cheer beyond television, Nickelodeon, in partnership with Live Viacom18, is all set to host the widely known International theatrical “Dora’s Pirate Adventure” from the 27th – 30th December. Fans can watch Dora LIVE on stage in Siri Fort, New Delhi, as she embarks on her pirate adventure with her best buddy Boots and her cousin Diego. One can buy tickets by logging on to http://in.bookmyshow.com/concerts/dora-the-explorer-tickets/ or
http://www.mycity4kids.com/Delhi-NCR/Events/Nickelodeons-Dora-the-Explorer-Live-Doras-Pirate-Adventure_Siri-Fort-Road/23623_ed.
There is also a whole host of interactivity for the tech savvy audience. They can watch videos of their favourite show – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) by logging on to www.sonicgang.com and win cool TMNT merchandise. On the other hand, www.nickjr.com is hosting many ‘Do It Yourself’ activities to engage the parents and toddlers together while offering cool Nick Jr. goodies.
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.
