News Broadcasting
India Today forecast — bang on, as always!
NEW DELHI – Elections can be unpredictable for political parties. Their results aren't for the India Today Group.
As every other media outlet faltered in its forecast of Haryana and Maharashtra elections, the India Today-Axis-My-India exit poll delivered the most accurate picture of around 11 crore voters in the two states.
HARYANA
Almost all other pollsters and TV stations were unanimous in predicting a sweep by the BJP in Haryana, led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
But it was the India Today-Axis-My-India exit poll that hit the bull's-eye, forecasting anywhere between 32 and 44 for the ruling party. Based on face-to-face interviews with voters across 90 constituencies, with a sample size of 23,118, the India Today-Axis-My-India Today survey foresaw the Congress ranks swelling in the range of 30-42 seats, up from 15 five years ago.
It gave the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), between and six and ten seats.
By Thursday evening, at time of writing, actual results were much the same as India Today's predictions — the BJP led successfully in 40, the Congress in 30 and the JJP in 10 constituencies.
Other pollsters, however, weren't really able to capture the voter pulse in Haryana accurately. In its exit poll, Republic-Jan Ki Baat had given the BJP 52-63 and the Congress between 15 and 19 seats. According to News18-IPSOS, the ruling party was poised to secure 75 and the Congress 10. ABP-CVoter charts indicated 72 for the BJP and eight for the Congress. Times Now predicted 71 for Khattar's party and 11 for the Congress led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the Leader of Opposition,
MAHARASHTRA
In Maharashtra, the actual outcome came closest to the India Today-Axis-My-India's predictions for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance unlike several other pollsters forecasting a landslide for the ruling coalition.
According to the India Today-Axis-My-India survey, the BJP-Sena alliance was projected to secure between 166 and 194 seats and the NCP-Congress combine from 72 to 90.
By Thursday evening, election results at time of writing showed the ruling coalition leading successfully in 159 of the state's 288 constituencies and the NCP-Congress combine in 105.
Contrast this with exit polls executed by other players.
Times Now had predicted 230 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena and 48 for the NCP-Congress together. Republic-Jan Ki Baat had forecast 216-230 for the governing alliance and 52-59 for the opposition. The News18-IPSOS gave as high as 243 to the BJP-Shiv Sena and as less as 41 seats to the NCP-Congress alliance in Maharashtra.
According to ABP-CVoter, the BJP-Sena were projected to win 204 and the opposition combine 69.
"I think getting the exit poll right again, especially against popular belief, separates news channels from propaganda channels," said Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson, India Today Group. "It's our approach on ground reporting and non-alignment that we were able to read data with a level of understanding. And doing it in Haryana elections, where the margin on so many seats was so slim, is a validation of the scientific and thorough approach of Axis," the Vice Chairperson said.
INCREDIBLE TRACK RECORD
Of all the elections that took place in India between 2013 and 2019, India Today-Axis My India post-poll surveys have given the most accurate predictions in 95 per cent of the cases.
Since 2013, Axis My India has conducted 38 post-poll surveys, of which 36 have been spot on.
Conducting the largest exit poll for the world's largest democracy the 2019 general elections, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll, for instance, predicted 339-365 seats for the BJP-led NDA and 77-108 seats for the UPA in the new Lok Sabha. The actual results weren't different — the NDA got 352 and the UPA 92 seats in the lower house of parliament.
Axis-My-India chief Pradeep Gupta attributed his successful predictions to team work and scientific monitoring of voter behaviour. "We follow international best practices. Our methodology is highly refined that helps us eliminate margins of error," he explained. "Our sampling is the most demographically representative in any given election. We closely, and continuously, monitor voter mood and intent."
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.
