News Broadcasting
India TV expands editorial team
MUMBAI: The Rajat Sharma — promoted India TV has announced three new appointments within the editorial team in the Hindi news and current affair channel.
The news channel has roped in Aaj Tak’s senior special correspondent Kumar Rajesh as the executive editor. Rajesh, in the past had been associated with Rajat Sharma through the news property Aaj ki Baat as an anchor as well as the associate editor. Earlier, he had worked with Sahara news channel.
Channel7 senior editor news gathering Prashant Tandon has been brought in to take reponsibility in a similar position. Tandon had earlier worked with Star News, Sahara UP news channel and also for a news based show Rozana produced by BAG Films for DD.
Nepal 1 executive producer Kishore Kumar Malviya has been appointed as senior editor. Malviya had been associated with Zee News and Navbharat Times.
In an official statement issued, India TV editor in chief Rajat Sharma says, “We are delighted to welcome Kumar, Prashant and Kishore. I have no doubt that Kumar’s 14 years in television journalism will be a huge asset in India TV’s next phase of growth.
“Prashant has rich experience in strategic planning and content management and you will be seeing his impact in India TV’s news gathering operations almost immediately. Kishore brings in all-round skill sets across the news gathering and output functions besides having been out there in sensitive field assignments.”
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.
