News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak taps into rural audience with new show
MUMBAI: National Hindi news channel Aaj Tak is looking at tapping into rural audiences with its new show titled – Aaj Tak Ka Gaon Connection.
The special series is tailor-made for the rural audience connecting India and Bharat like never before.
Rural India is a large, underserved market amounting to around 70 per cent of India’s total population (Census 2011) and contributing to about half of the India’s GDP. The villages in India play a crucial role in not just making or breaking governments but also play a defining role in the economy and growth of the nation as a whole. The rural audience is going through a metamorphosis and is changing at a sociological and cultural level. Understanding the need to give apt coverage to this very important and wide section of India, the channel launched the new show.
With Aaj Tak Ka Gaon Connection, the channel plans to provide a full spectrum of rural news – from hard subjects to inspirational stories, problems, issues and a perspective that is fresh and uniquely rural.
The show will be hosted by senior journalist, lyricist and scriptwriter Neelesh Misra, who is also the founder and editorial director of India’s first ever rural newspaper Gaon Connection.
India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga said, “The launch of Aaj Tak Ka Gaon Connection is just another step that underlines our channel’s thought leadership and the consistent effort to break new ground. The series will fill a long standing void that this vast audience base has been feeling.”
The series will not only keep rural India updated on issues that matter but will also give a glimpse of their world to the viewers across towns and cities.
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.
