News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak lures back three who switched to DD
NEW DELHI: The Empire strikes back? Seems so. And with a vengeance too as news market leader Aaj Tak lures back people to its fold.
Among the three prodigals – if they can be dubbed so, though Aaj Tak feels they are – doing a homecoming of sorts are Kartikey Sharma and Rahul Chowdhry. The three had followed former Aaj Tak political editor Deepak Chaurasia to Doordarshan News some months back.
Contacted by indiantelevision.com, sources in Prasar Bharati, which manages Doordarshan and All India Radio, confirmed the developments saying, three persons from DD News have “put in their papers.”
Are all the three joining back Aaj Tak from April? Though no official response from the channel was forthcoming, sources there indicated that it was happening “as all those who want to return could be considered again.” The three concerned, however, could not be contacted for any comments, though it is learnt that they are going back on the assurance of a better pay package.
The aforementioned three from Aaj Tak had joined DD News amidst lot of publicity, but, as a senior Prasar Bharati official put it, their exit too is likely to put a question mark on whether such people, looking at the slightest of better opportunities, could be depended upon on a long-term basis. The three concerned persons stint at DD News lasted barely three months.
After Chaurasias exit from Aaj Tak, the channel and its management did a lot of soul searching whether attempts should be made to retain existing employees by matching pay packages being offered by others to them.
The first indication of a change of heart in the management policy came when TV Today Network (parent company for Aaj Tak and Headlines Today)s distribution head, Amitabh Srivastava, quit and re-joined (almost before he’d left) on a fatter salary. Subsequently, the company gave salary hikes ranging between 40 to 80 per cent almost across the board to its employees.
One of the reasons being cited for this was to stop further outflow from Aaj Tak before the general election, which is a big event for a news channel.
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.
