News Broadcasting
How India consumes digital news
MUMBAI: India is a large, chaotic, noisy democracy at work. And nothing encapsulates this better than the desire for news in Indians, be it through print, broadcast or even digital. Digital news in India, as per comScore’s latest report, receives an average of 282 million unique visitors (UVs) every month, making India the second-largest online news consuming nation in the world after China.
Digital news is also the most popular content category by reach, having a 96 per cent reach, just above social media, entertainment and retail at 95, 95, and 94 per cent. News penetration in India is actually higher than other key populations like China and the USA, says the report titled ‘Trends in Online News Consumption,’ that analysed data for the month of September.
However, despite the high penetration of digital news in India, the average time an Indian spends on news sites at 191 minutes is much lower that countries like Finland (667), China (496), and the US (352).
The rise of news aggregators
Thanks, perhaps, to the high-demand of news in India and to comparatively lower time spent on news sites, the biggest players in news category are news aggregators. Data from comScore’s report shows that out of the 282 UVs for the month of September, nearly 158 million came through news aggregators. Together, news aggregators recorded a staggering 187 per cent growth in 2019.
Among news aggregators, Dailyhunt remains the undisputed market leader, having 43 per cent market reach. Flipboard, Newspoint, Google News, Inshorts, and UCNews have carved out a space for themselves but none of them is in a position to challenge Dailyhunt’s current market domination.
Mobile leads the way
The popularity of news aggregators is also aided by another peculiar Indian market trait, the popularity of mobile screen over desktop. Over 90 per cent of the total time Indians spends on digital news sites is on mobile screens with desktop compromising just below 10 per cent. The compatibility of news aggregators on mobile screens is aiding their growth.
However, the same poses challenges for advertisers looking to monetise the popularity of digital news. Desktop interface is more compatible for advertisings than a mobile screen. News aggregators, currently, advertise by strategically placing branded content and promotions in between important stories.
Vernacular shows promise
Another feature that distinguishes Indian digital news market from other key markets like China, USA, Brazil, Canada, and the UK is the tremendous content diversity on news sites in India. While all other key digital news markets are one language dominated, in India, a huge amount of traffic to news sites comes from vernacular languages.
News, but in video format
The report also finds that for news sites, video remains the best option to engage consumers. In the last one year, top news sites have increased their video output vastly, and have benefitted from it.
Also, You Tube is the most preferred partner for growth in news videos. The study finds that news sites benefit tremendously by contributing videos to You Tube. The report finds that out of the total 85 million UVs on India Today Group site, 84 million came from You Tube. For Times Internet, the figure was 25 million UVs out of the total of 33 million UVs.
News is here to stay
If there is one take away from the report, then it is that news, in whatever format, is here to stay. Also, in India, digital news is showing growth alongside a healthy growth in broadcast news, without much harm to print news.
However, for news sites to remain relevant in a fast changing Indian digital news market, videos and effective partnerships with social media like You Tube and Facebook, is critical.
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.
