News Broadcasting
Sumukhi Suresh and Girliyapa create their mark at News18.com’s ireel awards 2018
MUMBAI: Popular for writing and performing sketches and viral videos, stand-up comedienne Sumukhi Suresh bagged the Best Actress (Comedy) award at the New18.com iReel Awards 2018 for her role in Amazon’s ‘Pushpavalli.’ It was a double delight for Sumukhi, the creator of the show, as Pushpavilli also claimed the Best Comedy award later in the evening. Best Writing (Comedy), on the other hand, was bestowed upon the new-age platform Girliyapa for their renowned show ‘Mr and Mrs.’
As for Pushpavalli, the show was created by Sumukhi herself, who also played the titular role of a lady who is a stalker, in this dark comedy. In the series, Pushpavalli, moves from Bengaluru to Bhopal to chase Nikhil, a man she met at an event. Sumukhi steals the show with not only her performance but also her strong writing.
Accepting the award for Pushpavalli at the event, an elated Sumukhi said, “I’d like to thank News18 and iReel for this award. I’d like to make a small note here regarding the misconception that shows are going to be made by one person alone. It takes an entire team. I’d like to thank everyone involved with Pushpavalli, my writers and directors. I know it’s kind of a Public Service Announcement, but if you’re a woman and are looking to make a show, then just go ahead and make it. You’re going to make mistakes but it’s going to end up being an amazing experience.”
Coming to the popular series Mr. and Mrs., it features Nidhi Bisht as Madhu and Biswapati Sarkar as Sanjay, as a married couple. The show is filled with bags of wit and humour. The story comes out in full flow through some very good writing by Preksha Khanna and Pradyot Mokashi. This light-hearted show has earned a lot of fans and has built anticipation for another season, reflecting the demand for series that feature well-written content.
Present at the event, Preksha and Pradyot walked up the stage to claim the award. Commenting on the win, Pradyot said, “I’d like to give my heartfelt thanks to Biswapati Sarkar. Whatever writing I know is because of him. I’d also like to a give big thanks to TVF.”
Applauding the winners were esteemed attendees such as Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Nikhil Advani, Hansal Mehta, Harsh Chhaya, Surveen Chawla, Kubra Sait, Rajshree Deshpande, Ameesha Patel, Tanushree Dutta, Tisca Chopra, Rasika Duggal, Vikas Gupta, Karan Wahi and Ronit Roy, who graced the event with their presence.
iReel Awards 2018 is the 2nd edition of the content awards by News18.com that celebrates, honours and recognizes the brightest talent in the Indian web series space.
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.
