News Broadcasting
CNN to close US financial news channel
MUMBAI: The dominance of CNBC in the US business and financial news landscape has claimed a victim.
CNN has announced that it will close its financial and business news channel CNNfn by the middle of December.
The financial news network, launched in 1995, competed for viewers as US interest in the financial markets surged. However it failed to get enough distribution on the US’ largest cable operators.
CNNfn is distributed in about 30 million of the 100 million US homes. CNBC meanwhile is available in about 86 million US homes and 200 million worldwide.
CNNfn’s deal with DirecTV was set to expire shortly. If the deal was not renewed then it faced the prospect of losing nearly half of its distribution. News Corp which took a stake in DirecTV last year is thinking in terms of starting its own financial news network.
In a letter adressed to employees CNN US news group president Jim Walton stated, “Exponential growth in the television marketplace since CNNfn’s 1995 launch has made it challenging to grow distribution for many niche networks in today’s highly competitive landscape.
“Our eventual plan is to evolve our business and financial news coverage on a platform where we can benefit from early-mover status “
About 50 of CNNfn’s 110 employees will remain at the company. About 60 employees will be offered an opportunity to reapply for other jobs within the CNN news group. Executives said that about 100 news jobs will be posted at the CNN group.
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.
