News Broadcasting
Aap Ki Adalat’ episode featuring Kapil Sharma hits another high
Mumbai: Beating its competitors in the recent viewership face-off, the headline-making India TV show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ has again emerged as one of the most watched Hindi language talks shows within its genre. In the latest viewership data revealed by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the show featuring comedian Kapil Sharma was the most watched as compared to other talk shows which aired on the same evening featuring the latter.
Kapil Sharma, appeared on three National Hindi News channels- India TV’s ‘Aap Ki Adalat,’ Aaj Tak’s ‘Seedhi Baat’ and ABP News’s Press Conference. All these interviews aired on 11th March in the evening Prime Time and India TV gained about 5.1 million All India Cum-Reach as per BARC and 19.6 million video views across YouTube and Facebook.
As per BARC data, on Saturday Aap Ki Adalat garnered 1238 Gross AMA 000s (between 10 pm to 11 pm) while Seedhi Baat garnered 1115 Gross AMA 000s (between 9 pm to 10 pm) and for Press Conference, it was 607 Gross AMA 000s (between 8 pm to 9 pm) among 15+ HSM Audience.
Based on the overall all-time rating, the country’s most-talked show ‘Aap Ki Adalat,’ hosted by India TV Editor-in-Chief and Chairman Rajat Sharma, topped the chart and maintained the position of being the No 1. The other two shows were at No. 5 (Aaj Tak’s Seedhi Baat) and No. 8 (ABP News’s Press Conference) in its time band.
Not only Liener TV, but the episode’s viewership was also much higher than its competition on the digital platforms. On YouTube, India TV records 3.5 Mn views whereas Aaj Tak has 2.1 Mn and ABP News has 0.8 Mn views on Kapil Sharma interview content. Inline to YouTube, Same Aap Ki Adalat content records 16.1 Mn video views followed by ABP News 6 Mn. And Aaj Tak 1.16 Mn total video views on Facebook. (Source: YouTube & Facebook, Publicly Published videos at mentioned Channel/pages, Total views till 22nd March)
Speaking about this latest milestone, India TV managing director Ritu Dhawan said, “Aap Ki Adalat has a rich legacy of almost 30 years. In this time, the media landscape has now completely changed. However, despite this evolution, Aap ki Adalat has been able to maintain its essence. The uniqueness, the exclusiveness of this platform, is still there. Hence, for the audience, it is one of the most loved shows. Moving forward, our aim is to continue to bring authentic news for the viewers in the years to maintain our position.”
In the latest BARC report released just two weeks ago, India TV emerged as the undisputed leader during the Northeast Election Results Day coverage among national Hindi news channels. The new data just highlights the popularity of the channel that has been providing credible news to the people for the past two decades.
This was not the first time when comedian Kapil Sharma appeared on ‘Aap Ki Adalat.’ The show got the same response in 2015 when he took the stand for the first time to answer the intense questions of Rajat Sharma. Given the popularity of the channel among the Hindi language audience of the country, it served as the best platform for him to interact with the masses.
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.
