News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak’s flanker channel Tez to focus on headline news
NEW DELHI: The Aroon Purie-promoted TV Today Network today formally launched its third channel, Tez, as a flanking strategy to provide headlines news in Hindi.
Additionally, it is also preparing the ground for the launch of a fourth channel, which would be metro-specific, by December-January 2006.
Tez, which was officially flagged off by information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy, will be a 24-hour Hindi news channel that will aim at delivering news to the busy viewer who does not find enough time to devote to long and detailed news bulletins.
The channel will have shorter news wheels with back to back news and “no long winded discussions or unnecessary analysis.”
In short, as TV Today Network CMD Aroon Purie said at the inaugural function here, “Maximum news in minimum time.” Hence, the tag line of the channel is ‘Khabarein Phataphat’ (quick news).
“The channel has been designed in way that you can dip in and out without getting disappointed,” Purie said.
TV Today CEO G Krishnan said, “This step of launching the third news channel further strengthens our commitment to every stakeholder that we are truly the nation’s best news network.”
In a message to prospective advertisers, Krishnan claimed that Tez will further “increase the news pie as it will attract viewers who don’t have the time to view the entire news bulletin” and will augment the scope of deliverables that a viewer and advertiser can derive out of the network.
During his brief speech, Reddy remembered the day when TV Today’s flagship channel, Aaj Tak, used to be a news programme on pubcaster Doordarshan.
Tez’s other sibling is Headlines Today that is also designed to give headlines news.
Meanwhile, when Indiantelevision.com asked Krishnan about the reason behind Tez, he admitted that it’s a “flanking strategy” and is more or less akin to Headlines News where the thrust is on delivering news fast and without any fuss.
Asked about the network’s fourth channel, which would target the metros, Krishnan said it would happen, but “sometime next year” as “everything has its time.”
However, information available with Indiantelevision.com is that work on the fourth channel has started and the company is targeting a launch it some time by January 2006, if not earlier in December.
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.
