News Broadcasting
Zee News mops up impressive revenues
NEW DELHI: Zee News may be lagging behind Aaj Tak, which seems to be living up to its image of ‘subse tez’ channel till now, but that has not stopped it from mopping up a neat pile of revenue.
“The channel would improve on its profitability and is likely to end the current financial year with ad sales revenue of slightly over Rs 800 million,” Zee Telefilms news director Laxmi N Goel told indiantelevision.com today.
The total advertising revenue for Zee Telefilms was Rs 1,458 million for the second quarter ended 30 September, higher by 2.4 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.
If the subscription revenue accruing to Zee News were added to the ad revenue in March, then the total mop up during 2003-04 would make the top management of the Subhash Chandra promoted Zee Telefilms smile.
During 2002-03, Zee News’ ad sales amounted to approximately Rs 620 million.
As per information available with indiantelevision.com, Zee News’ monthly subscription revenue in the current financial year has crossed Rs 15 million and is nearly touching Rs 17 million.
Even if we calculate the likely subscription revenue for Zee News based on the lower figure, then also the mop up would add up to another Rs 180 million.
At the end of the second quarter this financial year, the total subscription revenue of Zee Telefilms stood at Rs 1,489 million, an increase of 22.9 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal. The domestic subscription revenue was Rs 538 million for the second quarter, signifying an increase of 45.8 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.
“Not only the ad revenue accruing to the company from Zee News has gone up, but the subscription revenue too has increased,” Goel said, adding that improved content on the news channel has helped, reflecting positively on the bottomlines.
However, it may not be just Laxmi Goel and team’s doing where increasing subscription revenue is concerned.
In the last one year, another brother of Laxmi Goel, Jawahar Goel, who heads Zee’s cable arm Siti cable, too has been aggressive by increasing Siti Cable’s reach, which, according to information available, now services close to 8 million cable homes all over the country.
Zee’s pay bouquet comprises 15 channels, including 11 channels of Zee, three channels of Turner (CNN, Cartoon Network and Pogo), CNBC and Reality TV channel.
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.
