News Broadcasting
News channels under Cfar scanner
MUMBAI: Election time translates into boon time for the electronic medium. Touted as the make or break point for news channels, this time on, the election coverage is quite interesting, complete with live feeds, public and political debates from around the country (at times conducted in the open like Aaj Tak did recently from a set created near India Gate) and more number crunching.
A viewers’ forum, Centre for Advocacy and Research (Cfar), has decided to monitor the news channels’ coverage of the election campaign.
The Viewers’ Forum is an audience collective and community-centred initiative. Objective is to create a forum where consumers, media advocates, policy makers, media planners, sponsors and broadcasters and TV producers can meet and exchange viewpoints; to inform and improve the quality of consumer participation in the on-going public discourse on media, especially television and to empower viewers so that they can play a role in helping to shape the media products they consume.
According to the study, overall DD News’ coverage had highest variation, while NDTV 24X7 showed lowest in coverage of main election related stories across channels.
The study compared the issue tackled by the channel based on following parameters: number of times the issue featured in the stories and percentages of individual channel coverage of election issues.
The study was based on nine parameters:
Comparison of main stories by channel (Top 10)
Comparison of issue by channel
Coverage of main stories and issues across two weeks
Representation of public voices across two weeks
Coverage of development issues by channel
Coverage of main stories related to development across the two weeks
Comparison of development issues across the two weeks
Representation of spokesperson across the two weeks
Coverage of main stories party-wise across the two weeks
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.
