News Broadcasting
CNN-IBN announces nominees for Indian of the Year Award
MUMBAI: CNN-IBN has announced the list of nominees for three of the six categories of CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award. Six personalities belonging to the disciplines of sports, business and politics have been short-listed by the judiciary council in concurrence with the TV 18 editorial group.
The nominees for the Politics category are:
– West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.
– Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi.
– Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
– Railway minister Laloo Yadav.
– Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh.
– Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
The nominees for the Business category:
– Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata.
– Suzlon head Tulsi Tanti.
– Reliance Industries Limited chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani.
– Bharat Forge chairman and managing director Baba Kalyani.
– Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd managing director Anand Mahindra.
– Air Deccan managing director Captain GR Gopinath.
The nominees for the Sports category are:
– Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh.
– Indian shooter Jaspal Rana.
– Tennis player Leander Paes.
– Badminton player Saina Nehwal.
– Cricketer Anil Kumble.
– Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Rajdeep Sardesai editor-in-chief CNN-IBN and IBN7 said, “With the generation of the nominee list for the Politics, Business and Sports categories we have taken our first step in short-listing all those that have made India proud in 2006. These candidates have been chosen based on the noteworthy contributions they have made in their respective fields.”
CNN-IBN and IBN 7 national sales head Sanjay Dua added, “The CNN-IBN Indian of the Year is a property that is bound to be appealing and profitable to all advertisers alike. I am confident that such a prestigious title is something they will take pride in being associated with as it recognises and celebrates achievements of eminent Indians across various spheres.”
The above nominees, along with those of the other three categories ie. entertainment, public service and NRI will shortly be open for voting by the public and the electoral college. This will then determine the Indian of the Year for each category.
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.
