News Broadcasting
Times picks up two news professionals for its business channel
MUMBAI: The news channel hopping game continues. The Times Group has lured another two executives for its soon to be launched business and news channel.
CNBC TV 18 executive producer Preeti Prasad has joined the Times and will be a part of the core team preparing for the much awaited launch of the channel that the industry buzz says will be named Economic Times.
Prasad has been with CNBC TV 18 since 1996. As one of the executive producers with the Times business and news channel, she will be leading production crew in Mumbai.
Additionally, Star News’ Delhi based senior producer Naveen Kapoor has also moved to the Times Group. Kapoor joined Times earlier this week. Kapoor will be based in Delhi looking after news gathering responsibilities for the new channel.
Kapoor has a news agency background, having started his career with ANI-Reuters before moving to Star in December 2002. The Times’ channel, which is likely to be launched in the first half of next year, will be headquartered in Mumbai but have a big hub in the national capital. Kapoor is likely to be looking after news operations from the Delhi hub.
Earlier this month, NDTV’s senior editor (promos) Proshanto Das joined the Group as head of on-air promos. According to sources, Times is likely to recruit more senior production personnel soon.
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.
