News Broadcasting
Sahara Star Celebrates the festive spirit of Christmas
MUMBAI: Sahara Star, known for celebrating Christmas every year with great zest and joy, brought in the festive spirit by including their guests in their annual fruit mixing activity on 30th October ‘13 for their Christmas cake. The event involves guests creating the batter and letting it ferment with alcohol over a period of time.
The activity hosted by Sahara Star every year, saw excited guests adorning the chef’s hat and gloves working on the batter by adding berries, dry fruits and diced fruits to the mixture. The most essential step of the process brought on many smiles as the guests worked in tandem with the chefs to pourcopious amounts of wine, rum and whisky to soak the fruits.
This mixture will later be used to bake the Christmas Cake. Other Christmas celebrations at Sahara Star include a special Desert Buffet decoration on 14th December and a special Xmas goodies shop being set up from 17th December onwards at Earth Plate. A Ginger Bread house will be set along with the lighting of the Christmas tree in the lobby on 6th December with the attendance of VIP and internal guests. Traditional Christmas drinks Sangria and Glühwein will be served to all the guests as a welcome drink to mark the occasion. Christmas Carols will be sung and snacks with cocktails will be available for the guests at Zero Level.
Among other festivities, cookies and stalking filled with chocolates and jujubes will be placed in all rooms on 24th Dec and Christmas pudding with a shot of non-alcoholic Glühwein will be given to all guests on 25th evening. Carol singing and Good Fat White Santa will be there from the 21st-25th December at Earthplate.
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.
