News Broadcasting
NDTV Profit and NDTV 24X7 go the pay TV way
MUMBAI: NDTV, which launched the business channel NDTV Profit along with the 24-hour news channel NDTV 24X7 and NDTV India, has decided to go the pay way from 1 April with the first two channels.
The two NDTV pay channels form part of a new bouquet announced some time back by Sony-Discovery distribution joint venture, One Alliance. The new bouquet has been priced at Rs 38 and includes channels like Ten Sports, Nick, Discovery Travel & Living, and Animax. Hindi news channel NDTV India too is part of the bouquet, but will remain a free to air channel.
The pay route for two NDTV channels has been taken as the company feels that the two channels can keep attracting advertising revenue, apart from generating some subscription revenue too. An NDTV source said there are no immediate plans to take the Hindi news channel the pay way, adding that as per TAM data both Profit and NDTV 24×7 were occupying top slots in their respective genres.
NDTV also informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that Set Discovery Pvt Ltd has launched a package for distribution of channels. The company’s scrip closed the day on the BSE at RS 182.50 touched a high of RS 183 for the day, after opening at RS 180.
Meanwhile, some cable operators, whom Indiantelevision.com contacted in Delhi, said they were yet to be informed by One Alliance about the new bouquet and its pricing structure.
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.
