News Broadcasting
POGO and Mumbai kids Go Green with Chhota Bheem
MUMBAI: POGO, India’s leading kids’ channel, culminated its annual on-ground innitiave with a mega event in Mumbai. The month long activity called Bheem’s Green Team crescendoed with an engaging, entertaining & insightful extravaganza in the city replete with games, workshops, performances by superhero Chhota Bheem and Chutki and the surprise element of unveiling Kalia’s costume.
Organized by POGO, Bheem’s Green Team is the first of its kind “Go Green” event themed around kids’ favorite superhero, Chhota Bheem. The event undertaken at a mall in Mumbai on December 14 & 15, 2013 saw participation from over 5000 kids and their parents. The two day event taught kids ways to protect the environment through games and workshops designed to entertain and be insightful. Additionally, POGO and Chhota Bheem distributed over 5000 saplings amongst children encouraging them to proactively make their green contribution.
Highlight of the activity was an entertaining performance by Chhota Bheem and Chutki. Furthermore, kids were elated to meet and watch Kalia perform on-ground for the first time ever!
The Bheem’s Green Team campaign targeted kids and families across India via on-air promotions, online games and School Contact Programs culminating in a massive 2-city event with a single focus of encouraging kids to save the environment. On-air promotional spots drove kids www.pogo.tv, where the Bheem’s Green Team microsite hosted green tips, fun trivia, videos, etc. However, the biggest eye-catcher on the microsite was the game application that allowed kids to grow and take care of their digital sapling. Finally, on-ground School Contact Programs in Mumbai and Delhi targeting over 10,000 students strengthened this message and invited kids to the ultimate event to meet Chhota Bheem and interact with him.
Mr. Krishna Desai, Senior Director & Network Head -Kids, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. said, “As India’s leading kids’ channel, we strive to preserve POGO being a responsible brand. To this end one such endeavour was Bheem’s Green Team, a multi-platform “Go Green” initiative. Kids were given the opportunity to sign up to be a part of this initiative with their superhero and protect the environment while being creative and having fun.”
Bheem’s Green Team is powered by Thomas & Friends with associate sponsors Junior Horlicks, Kellogg’s Chocos and Zandu Sona Chandi Chyawanprash Plus.
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.
