News Broadcasting
Rajesh Pant takes charge as Percept CEO
Take Percept Advertising into the Top Ten in the next five years. That is the brief that former Sony Entertainment No: 2 and new CEO Rajesh Pant, who took charge yesterday, has set for himself.
Pant, who was one of the high-profile departures from the SET stable in last year’s reorganisation, says he has been given a total free hand by Percept Advertising’s promoters Harindra and Shailendra Singh. Pant’s initial concentration will be on building and developing internal resources and that means expanding the team that is in place at Percept. With capitalised billings of Rs 1000 million currently, he aims to take it to Rs 5000 million in the next five years.
As for former CEO Navroze Dhondy’s equation in the new dispensation, Pant has been quoted as saying Dhondy would assume a more marketing related function.
Pant, who joined SET from Citicorp in Dubai, was last year moved to take charge of the freshly formed SET Pictures division after the company decided to enter the field of film production and distribution. Pant’s initial projects included international distribution of the film Mission Kashmir and Lagaan.
One place where Pant’s experience at SET will in all likelihood be utilised is in the aggressive plans that Sahara TV has for 2002. Parent company Sahara India is one of Percept’s key clients.
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.
