News Broadcasting
Buyers treated to Koffee with Karan
CANNES: Barely has Mipcom 2013 taken off and Star India seems to have sprung a huge surprise on buyers gathered at Cannes.
It’s Koffee with Karan, being served hot and fresh at the world’s largest content fest before it returns to screens back home.
That’s not all. The network is equipped with a host of other series and thousands of films from its library, and is particularly betting big on the epic saga – Mahabharat – which is already on air on Star Plus since 16 September.
Star India’s ammo includes the thriller series Savdhan India and Humne Li Hai…Shapath from sister channel Life OK’s portfolio as well as Arjun which is currently being telecast on the network.
Star India vice president Ashutosh Mordekar exults: “While we are looking at selling the Mahabharat format to countries which look at it as mythology, there is also a huge chunk of countries which think of it as a costume drama coming from India and are interested.”
So Star India also plans to position Mahabharat, a la Korean costume dramas that are very popular with global audiences.
“We are looking at tapping central and eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS region. We are hoping for a good Mipcom this year,” says Mordekar.
Having succeeded in selling Life OK’s Devo Ke Dev… Mahadev to Mauritius and Eastern Europe, the network is looking at expanding the market base of the hit series.
Nach Baliye, India’s Dancing Super Star and Channel V’s teenage crime series Gumrah are among the other show formats the network is looking to license this year. Star India will also hunt for new formats for Life OK as well as its new channel Star World Premier HD.
About the propensity for Video on Demand (VoD), Mordekar says: “In India too, there is a huge shift from linear TV to non-linear and to VOD and we are also looking at creating content to occupy that space. We are coming up with branches to fulfill the VOD need of our viewers.”
So while it’s early days at Mipcom, indiantelevision.com will keep a watch out for deals cracked in markets the channel plans to tap.
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.
