News Broadcasting
Star News, NDTV India bearing down as Aaj Tak hold loosens
MUMBAI: Elections have taken a toll on the leader among Hindi news channels. Aaj Tak, which led the pack with a market share of 36 per cent at the beginning of the year, has slipped to 26 per cent by the end of April.
According to TAM figures (C&S 15+, Hindi speaking markets), newcomers Star News and NDTV India are already snapping at Aaj Tak’s heels, both having grown to a market share of 21 per cent each. While Star News started with a market share of 15 per cent, NDTV India started the year with a share of 17 per cent. Both have made slow, but steady progress over the last 18 weeks to remain resolutely tied at equal market shares currently.
Other players have not gained from Aaj Tak’s discomfiture, however. DD News, the latest entrant, has in fact, lost market share – from 12 per cent in the beginning of the year to 10 per cent by the end of April, while Sahara Samay recorded a marginal rise from eight to nine per cent. Viewer loyalty to Zee News has remained steady, going neither up nor down. Zee News has retained its market share of 13 per cent that it began the year with.
The scenario is similar in the C&S 4+ demographic in Hindi speaking markets too – Aaj Tak has fallen to a market share of 25.4 per cent, while NDTV India today stands at 22.3 per cent and Star News at 20.8 per cent. The outlook is a little better for Aaj Tak in the 25 + TG in Hindi speaking markets, with the channel boasting 27.1 per cent market share, much lower than the share it started the year with, yet better than its share in the other demographics. Here too, both Star News and NDTV India are neck to neck – NDTV with a share of 21.8 per cent and Star with a share of 20.9 per cent.
The overall channel share of Hindi news channels has however grown from 5.8 to 6.5 in the first four months of 2004, thanks to the general elections. Here too, Aaj Tak has slipped from 2.1 to 1.7. On the other hand, NDTV India has gone up from 1 to 1.4 while Star News has gone up from 0.9 to 1.4, the TAM data reveals.
The battle for the top spot, precipitated by the elections, will continue for some weeks to come till the results are out and credibility, speed and clarity of each channel is established. The fight continues…
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.
