News Broadcasting
Sanjay Pugalia excited about joining Raghav Bahl’s Quintillion Media
MUMBAI: Former editor of CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajaar, Sanjay Pugalia has joined Raghav Bahl’s The Quint. He has joined as president and editorial director of the group, which includes media properties like The Quint and BloombergQuint.
Pugalia will report to Bahl. His main focus will be on setting up Hindi digital news platform for the venture and will also play an important role in various other verticals of Quintillion Media.
Excited about joining hands with Bahl, Pugalia said, “It’s indeed a pleasure to work with Raghav Bahl who has set high standard and goals in this field. I am excited about the new young team that has been put in place. Their work in English is extremely impressive.”
Pugalia’s induction is part of Quintillion Media’s strategy to explode its regional presence, which it has been piloting over the past few months.
“The results of the pilot have been most encouraging, and provide the impetus to take the next step: amp up the growth. I am also delighted to be working again with Raghav after spending a decade together with him in building CNBC Awaaz and Bajaar”, added Pugalia.
Bloomberg Media had joined hands with Quintillion Media on 13 April 2016. The result of the union will take birth in the next month as BloombergQuint India will deliver business and financial news over traditional broadcast, digital and live events in the subcontinent.
“In Sanjay, we have a most accomplished professional who can help quickly scale up several of our news properties. I have the highest respect for Sanjay’s acute understanding of news and current affairs. It’s a privilege to have him on the team”, said Quintillion Media founder Raghav Bahl.
With more than 25 years of experience in print and TV, Pugalia was till recently the editor-in-chief of CNBC Awaaz. Before that he was the News Director for Star TV. He has also held significant roles at BBC, Aaj Tak, Navbharat Times and Business Standard.
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.
