News Broadcasting
NDTV 24×7 launch 12 news and news based shows
MUMBAI: Nothing like competition to get the aggro going. The leader in the English news channel space NDTV 24×7 is all set to unleash a whole bunch of new shows over the next couple of weeks. The channel has lined up 12 shows that cover the full gamut from the political, sporting right through to lifestyle.
Among the programmes on the menu are India-Pakistan Debates, Keeping Score with Imran and The Big Fat Indian Wedding. These offerings are aimed at complementing the news coverage.
First up is Aamir Speaks — Rang de Basanti, where the “media unfriendly” superstar Aamir Khan and other key cast members talk to a student audience about what they can do to change India, which is also the film’s central theme. This is quite a coup for the channel since Khan has thus far refused to speak to the media about the movie.
In the show, the crew of Rang De Basanti and the students discuss politics, music, and their favorite college memories. The show will be telecast on 20 January at 10 pm, 21 January at 10:30 pm and 22 January at 10:30 am.
The channel also aims to capitalise on the charisma of Dr Prannoy Roy in a unique show titled The India-Pakistan Debates, which is set to air from 26 January at 9:30 pm every Thursday and Friday. Dr Roy will anchor the show that will showcase a live audience and guests from India and Pakistan sharing a common platform. As the name suggests the show will debate various topics ranging from politics to sports to entertainment and whatever is making news on both sides of the border.
Then there is 60 Minutes, which has as its highlight the day’s big interview, followed by the main headlines from all over the country, pertaining to business deals, sports buzz, the entertainment industry and ending with audiences live calls and voting.
Witness has NDTV reporters from all over the country pooling their reports to produce “one complete story that’s changing India. Right from the start to the finish.”
There is also True Lies, a comic strip that features a witty social and political satire that uses comedy as the delivery vehicle.
News in India is incomplete without the country’s national obsession cricket so there is Keeping Score with Imram, which will provide with daily dose of Indo-Pak cricket from ‘the voice of experience’.
An interesting show is Good Food Ambassador. In each episode, the channel visits an ambassador of a country at his residence, where he/she will demonstrate two recipes. The show will provide several gourmet foods; authentic international cooking and lots of talk about specialties in each country.
The channel will also act as a wedding planner with a six part series The Big Fat Indian Wedding, which deals with the business of weddings. The idea is not just to provide entertainment to the viewers but also give out information like venues, what time of the year is most auspicious, meals how much they cost, snacks, clothes how much to allocate for it, jewellery, photographers, pundits, decorations, flower arrangement and most importantly show how a Bengali wedding is different from a Punjabi wedding or a Sindhi or a Kashmiri wedding. The show will compare the different ceremonies, customs, traditions and the rituals followed by the different communities also.
The channel explores the world of good schools as well as good colleges via Good Schools and Good Colleges. The idea is to provide an opportunity to visit these institutions and showcase how they function.
A new take on the holiday destination is Best Spas. The show will take the viewers through a journey of wellness, fitness activities, healthy spa cuisine and educational classes.
Best Hotels profiles high-end hotels and everything that the hotels have to offer to the discerning business traveller and/or holiday maker.
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.
