News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak, Headlines Today in US via Dish Network
MUMBAI: Targeting the Indian diaspora in the US, the Aroon Purie promoted — TV Today Network officially kicked off its Hindi news channel Aaj Tak and English news channel Headlines Today on 1 December at New York’s bustling Nasdaq marketsite.
This October, TV Today, had tied up with EchoStar’s Dish Network, a leading satellite service provider for South Asian programming in the US. The network runs three channels in India-Aaj Tak,Headlines Today and Tez.
Aaj Tak, which launched in India in 2000, is being offered as pay-channel in overseas markets, even though it is a free-to-air service in India, English news channel — Headlines Today, launched in 2003, which has been modelled to suit the viewing habits of English-speaking viewers and Hindi news channel — Tez, which launched this year in the month of August, has been designed to focus to provide headlines news in Hindi.
In a rare interview to Indiantelevision.com in February 2004, when quizzed about plans for making international forays, Purie said, “Aaj Tak is already available on a pay platform in the Middle East. We would consider going into the US and the UK markets with Aaj Tak or a combination of both the news channels. We are looking into the economics of transponder costs and as soon as the costs reach a level that would make good business sense for us, we’d consider tapping other markets.”
The Indian news channels also present catering to the Indian disapora, includes Star News, Zee News and NDTV 24X7. Dish Network offers 117 international channels from over 25 countries in more than 28 languages, including Urdu, Tagalog, Armenian, Korean, Greek, Italian and French.
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.
