News Broadcasting
News First stings on launch day, gets Karnataka assembly talking on second day
News First, Karnataka’s much awaited Kannada News Channel, didn’t disappoint on launch day.
The channel chose to live up to its tagline of Pratikshana Nimmondhege, Every Moment with You, with a sting operation that showed the
rampant spread of drug usage amongst children and youth alike, in government and private schools.
While most Kannada channels are going to town with an overdose of sandalwood linked drug stories, News First decided to go the societal benefit route.
The hard hitting story showed the modus operandi of drug peddlers luring and addicting vulnerable children between class 5 and 12.
The opposition too saw reason and made sure it was a talking point in the monsoon session of the Karnataka assembly, which started a day after the channel’s launch.
KPCC president DK Shivakumar applauded News First for starting off with a socially relevant story of dire importance. Senior Congress Leader Dr Parameshwar promised to make it a subject of discussion in the assembly.
JDS Leader Basavaraj Horatti lived up to his on air promise of raking up the children drug abuse story in the assembly.
Quoting News First, Horatti spoke at length about the story and need for the state government to act fast.
The government took cognisance off the issue and promised to initiate work in the direction in two days.
News First seems to be making all the right noises from the word go.
Trade too seems to be showing keen interest despite the trying times.
For a news channel launched in a crowded market place, day 1 showed sufficient promise with a tidy line up of commercials.
The men behind the venture, Ravikumar and Maruthi – formers execs of TV9 Kannada, and their team have contributed to increased interest in the News First.
Armed with an experienced team, sophisticated setup and quality focus, News First is keen to shake up the Kannada News TV market.
By the looks of it, the channel’s campaign “The Team that built Karnataka’s No. 1 News Channel, takes fresh aim” appears to have hit target.
Well begun, isn’t exactly a battle half won in this case.
But everybody loves a good start, at the cost of a wake up call !
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.
