News Broadcasting
Indiantelevision announces 5th News Television Summit and Awards
MUMBAI: The stage is set for the fifth edition of the most prestigious News Television Summit and Awards, organised by Indiantelevision.com.
Endorsed by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, the Summit will be be held at The Lalit, New Delhi on 28 March. Held amid a troubled global economy, the theme of the summit is ‘Seeking a growth injection: Is digitisation the answer?’
The Summit will try to answer some of the most burning issues that the TV news industry faces today. The industry continues to see new entrants by the droves. It has, however, got its house in order on the editorial front to a large extent. Loyal audiences tune in to news and events, providing peaks in viewership.
But advertising is not keeping pace and losses continue to dog TV news. So what is the way forward? Will subscription revenues save the day as channels turn pay in a digitised environment? Will the plethora of channels consolidate in every state through mergers and acquisitions? Or will madness and the status quo continue? Be a part of the summit to know more.
Says Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO & Editor in chief Anil Wanvari, “The news television industry, along with the rest of the broadcast sector, is at an interesting juncture with digitisation set to hit cable TV over the next two years. Additionally, with online and DTH spreading, and 4G set to emerge, it will have newer revenue streams to tap into. The NT Summit 2012 gives industry leaders a chance to pause and examine how best to build a robust news television ecosystem.”
This year, the Summit will see four sessions, starting 3 pm, followed by the Awards. The first session, ‘Tech Trends’, will have technology guys from the news networks sharing the podium. This will be followed by a session on “A look at the Genre”, in which all the aspects of the industry – marketing, advertising, content and distribution will be discussed.
The session on content will have news channel editors brainstorming on the right content mix.
The last session of the Summit will be the “leader panel” in which chief executives of TV news companies will talk about the biggest problem the industry faces – How to run a profitable TV news biz in the wake of high distribution and personnel costs, slowing revenue, supply of plenty, scarce capital and a halt to expansion drives?
The closing address will be delivered by an I&B ministry representative.
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.
