News Broadcasting
Sonali Bendres sprint to the top!
MUMBAI: The actress rushed to receive her award when she heard her show’s name being announced while walking the Red Carpet…
Images having bagged various awards during her career in Bollywood, Sonali Bendre’s excitement knew no bounds when her show – India’s Best Draamebaaz, had been nominated in the category of Best Non-fiction show. Walking the Red Carpet with her husband – Goldie Behl, Sonali was the happiest to have spotted her friends.
Meeting Feroz Khan (Judge on DID 4) after a long time, Sonali was exchanging pleasantries with him just when India’s Best Draamebaaz was announced as the winner in the category. Hearing the news of her show winning an award, Sonali leaped and jumped from the Red carpet to receive the award for the show.
Getting onto the stage, Sonali was ever-ecstatic to be receiving the award on behalf of the makers of the show. Seeing Sonali get on to the stage, Ritwik Dhanjani, who was anchoring the award ceremony was quick to compliment her on how beautiful she looked that night without noticing Goldie Behl accosting her on stage. Soon as Ritwik noticed that Sonali is in company of her husband, Ritwik seemed embarrassed. Putting Ritwik’s embarrassment at ease, Goldie lapped up telling Ritwik that he knows he has a very pretty wife. Not missing the opportunity, Ritwik said, “Ma’m you look very pretty and I have been a big fan of yours and have always loved you.” While Sonali smiled at the compliment, Ritwik went red in the cheeks.
Taking away the award with Vivek Oberoi and the kids, Sonali along with the entire troupe of the show was seen celebrating the moment. We hope the sprint from Red carpet to the stage didn’t leave Sonali with a sore feet post the ceremony.
Do not miss, Zee Rishtey Awards on Sunday, 2nd December at 8 PM, Only on ZEE TV!
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.
