News Broadcasting
Saral Jeevan rejuvenates Prime Time with fiction
MUMBAI: Saral Jeevan, the info-entertainment channel in Kannada, is launching 6 properties from 4th March. Adds fiction for the 1st time to existing info-entertainment content mix. Saral Jeevan has been known for programming with a focus on mythology, history, travel and insights from Indian heritage & culture. While the niche and core identity of the channel to remain same, fictions are being added to enhance channel reach to bigger viewer base.
THE FICTIONS: The 4 fictions are scheduled for telecast in the weekday prime time between 8 pm & 10 pm. SHIVA starring noted Kannada cinema star Yash, is set on the backdrop of a business family. Where Yash plays a role of young business man of rich family, who prefers being simple and living close to the nature Vs taking care of Business Empire.
HRUDAYA SAAKSHI & BHARATHI are fictions with family values and bonding forming the crux of the stories. They portray the importance of value system in middle class families of semi urbane Karnataka. ARUNARAGA is a story of a happily married woman which takes sudden turns with the entry of protagonist’s old friend who turns psycho.
MAHARANI (Saturday 9.00 pm): The info & entertaining reality show is like a game show where anchor interacts and gives tasks to 4 young participates. They could be from the fields of Cinema, Television, Modeling, Or Students from a noted college. The tasks include general knowledge Q&As and games. Participants get attractive prizes, while the winner among them gets a special prize.
NAM CAMPUS 2 (Sunday 8.00 pm): The season 2 of popular college campus program is back with lot more dynamism added to it. The program includes students’ active participation with sports and funny competitions. Lots of prizes also given out.
“Saral Jeevan always stood for presenting positive and inspiring programming. Adding fiction will not dilute our unique identity, instead it helps in carrying the good message to larger viewer base” says Dr. Shri Chandrashekhar Guruji, Chairman, CG Parivar Group. Yet another news from Shri. Guruji is the recent launch of insightful and solution driven program, MANAVABHIVRUDHI GURU is a daily live program.
“Saral Jeevan turned 3 years recently and adding fiction to strengthen the content line-up is just on time and a strategic move. While the core of programming continues to be inspired by Indian heritage & culture, the new content forms about 20% of the content mix” says Raghunatha Reddy, Business Head of Saral Jeevan.
Saral Jeevan telecasts programming with a focus on mythology, history, travel and insights from Indian heritage & culture. Channel philosophy is to present inspiring and motivational content that is positive in nature. A full-fledged satellite channel is available across MSOs in Karnataka and on DTH platforms (Airtel # 967, Videocon # 686 and Reliance Big TV # 836). Saral Jeevan is part of CG Parivar Group, founded by Dr. Shri Chandrashekhar Guruji, who is the pioneer in Saral Vaastu.
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.
