News Broadcasting
TV18’s Sanjay Chaudhuri sells 100,000 shares to Bahl
MUMBAI: The Raghav Bhal promoted Television Eighteen Ltd has transferred 175,000 shares as a block deal to Network18 Fincap Pvt Ltd (previously known as SGA Finance and Management Services Private Limited) for Rs 120 million.
This brings to 2,243,225 the total number of shares transferred to Network18 Fincap from Bahl’s personal holding. Recently, Network 18 Fincap had acquired 200,000 equity shares from Bahl for Rs 12.84 million.
“Pursuant to the sanction to the scheme of arrangement by the Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Delhi, Network 18 Fincap Pvt Ltd has acquired 175,000 shares from Bahl,” a statement TV18 posted on the BSE declared.
Further, the company has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that TV18 co-promoter Sanjay Ray Chaudhuri had sold 100,000 shares to Bahl in a block deal on 21 October.
Assuming the transaction was done at the price the scrip was trading at on 21 October — Rs 685 — Chaudhuri would have received about Rs 61 million in the share sale.
The TV18 scrip opened at Rs 700 and touched an intra-day high of Rs 793 before closing at Rs 776.
News Broadcasting
Network18 posts Rs 1,955 crore revenue, narrows FY26 losses
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.
