News Broadcasting
Times Now ex-CFO Sundaram joins Republic
MUMBAI: Former Times Now CFO S Sundaram has joined Republic, Arnab Goswami’s media entity, as the group CFO for the TV and digital venture.
Republic is India’s first independent media venture managed by content professionals. As a media-tech company, Republic is India’s first global media brand.
In a career spanning three decades, Sundaram has served as the CFO for 15 years in different organisations – his footprint running across Finance, Legal Compliance & Business Development functions. He was CFO for the Times Network between 2005 and 2012. Sundaram now takes charge of the financial leadership at Republic.
Commenting on S Sundaram joining his team, Republic founder Arnab Goswami said “He’s easily one of the best CFOs in the business today.” Republic CEO Vikas Khanchandani added. “Sundaram’s range of experience in financial leadership is unparalleled in the broadcast business. His successful stint in the broadcast industry will help Republic scale new financial benchmarks.”
Sundaram said, “Seeing Arnab rewrite the rules of television, I am excited to be with him at Republic and see him become India’s voice for the world.”
Sundaram has been a part of a large bouquet of businesses: Consultancy (A.F.Ferguson & Co), FMCG (PepsiCo India), Luxury Consumer Products & Services (Bausch & Lomb India & INOX Leisure), Internet (india.com),Television News Media (Times Global Broadcasting). His last stint was with the Edutainment Theme Park – KidZania India. Apart from being hands-on with Financial & compliance management, the depth of his start-up exposure has equipped Sundaram to be an active business participant -essential to build a robust business process within an efficient value chain from scratch.
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http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/people/republic-appoints-chauhan-to-set-up-global-innovation-centre-in-bengaluru-170207
http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/news-broadcasting/bloomberg-quints-tv-distribution-head-priya-mukherjee-moves-to-republic-170203
http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/news-broadcasting/rbnl-ex-cbo-khanchandani-joins-arnabs-republic-170120
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.
