News Broadcasting
TV18 earmarks Rs 3 bn for debt repayment and Rs 300 mn in Forbes project
MUMBAI: Television 18 India Ltd (TV18) will be utilising Rs 3 billion out of the proposed Rs 5.1 billion rights issue for repayment of debt, while Rs 300 million will be towards commercialising the ventures with Forbes Media.
TV18, which houses the business news channels CNBC TV18 and CNBC Awaaz and financial and news terminal Newswire18, will also use Rs 450 million from the net proceeds to subscribe to the proposed rights issue of Infomedia. Having filed with Sebi, Infomedia aims to raise Rs 1 billion from the rights issue. TV18 has directly acquired a 3.63 per cent equity in Infomedia and its subsidiary I-Ven holds 62.05 stake of the paid-up equity capital of Infomedia. TV18 proposes to consolidate its interest and hold a direct stake of 43.38 per cent in Infomedia.
The company plans to put in Rs 350 million towards acquisitions and other strategic initiatives in the media and allied sector. TV18‘s growth plan involves expanding its product and service offerings, both organically and through strategic acquisitions.
A further Rs 750 million will be used towards general corporate purposes to drive its business growth. Since Rs 250 million has been earmarked towards the issue expenses, TV18 will be left with net proceeds of Rs 4.85 billion from its rights issue.
For the English business magazine project, group company digital18 Media Private Ltd has entered into a license agreement with Forbes Media LLC (dated 24 October 2008). Additionally, the company is seeking to enter into a separate 50:50 joint venture agreement with Forbes to operate an India specific business website using the Forbes brand name and content. The investments may include subscribing to share capital in entities operating the Forbes related business ventures, including digital18, capital expenditures, if any, and payment of royalties to Forbes.
TV18 will not use proceeds from the rights issue for meeting its working capital requirements.
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.
