News Broadcasting
Star Movies makes a supernatural start to 2018 with miss peregrine’s home for peculiar children
MUMBAI: Now that we’ve entered the new year, it’s time to treat ourselves to some fresh Blockbusters. That’s exactly what Star Movies, the Home of Blockbusters, has set out to do this January. Get ready to be wowed by the peculiar feats of some gifted children, as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children premieres on January 14, 1 PM and 9 PM on Star Movies.
The film is directed by Tim Burton, two-time Oscar nominee, who is known for his ability to create high caliber films such as Edward Scissorhands, Frankenweenie, Planet of the Apes and Alice in Wonderland. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children boasts of a stellar cast comprising the likes of Eva Green, Samuel L. Jackson and Judi Dench. While the film is adapted from Riggs’ novel, the script has been crafted together by Jane Goldman, who’s famous for her work in creating films such as Kick-Ass and Kingsman: The Secret Service.
The Guardian’s Jordan Hoffman summarizes the film quite aptly when he says, “We get the playfulness of seeing quirky magic powers mixed with the familiarity of how a time loop plays out. Add in Burton’s authorial visual stamp and what we’ve got is an extremely pleasing formula. It gels as Tim Burton’s best (non-musical) live-action movie for 20 years.”
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children takes you on a journey through the life of Jacob, who stumbles upon a secret house in a parallel universe. Once Jacob begins to discover the children’s special gifts, and the enemies they seem to have made, the tale takes a dangerous twist.
Where does Jacob fit in all of this, and will he be able to save his new peculiar friends?
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.
