News Broadcasting
Sudhir Chaudhary joins as channel head Janmat
MUMBAI: Janmat has roped in senior media personality Sudhir Chaudhary as the Head of the channel to execute their massive expansion plans. He will be reporting directly to the group’s Vice Chairman and MD, Markand Adhikari.
After the maiden IPO of Broadcast Initiatives Limited, the company running Janmat, the management has huge plans to revamp their news and views channel.The company has claimed that it expects to raise about 60 crore rupees in revenue through the IPO.
Sudhir Chaudhary has been in the TV news industry for over 14 years and has worked at various Hindi channels like Zee News, Sahara Samay National and India TV where he joined as an executive editor.
Confirming this appointment, Adhikari said, “Sudhir will be responsible for the overall functioning of the channel and his task will be to implement the complete revamp and expansion strategy of the channel.
Janmat will stick to its unique positioning of news and views channel, which provides platform to every citizen to express their voice. However after our maiden IPO we will be implementing the state of the art studio and technology, which will further sharpen the channel’s niche.
The company has plans to establish its bureaus all over the country through an extensive network of live broadcasting systems and OB Vans. Sticking to its niche will provide a platform to every Indian to express their voice.”
Chaudhary said, “Adhikari Brothers, since the inception of Television Industry, have always understood the market gap and have established their niche in the market. I am extremely delighted to join Janmat and consider this to be a great professional assignment to turn around the channel and to make it a futuristic broadcasting platform. In another two to three months times viewers will see Janmat in a new avatar”.
Furthermore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadcast Initiatives, Sri Adhikari Brothers Media (SABML) has just launched (as of 5 March) Marathi language channel Mi Marathi. SABML has entered into an exclusive ad-sales representation Agreement with NDTV Media for the sale of airtime on Mi Marathi.
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.
