News Broadcasting
ABP Group plans to launch 3-4 regional news channels in next 3 years
KOLKATA: After building a strong presence in Bengal and Maharashtra, and all plans firmed up for the Punjabi news channel, Kolkata-based media company, ABP Group, plans to launch three to four regional news channels in the next two to three years, in the western region followed by northern India; said ABP Group MD and CEO Dipankar Das Purkayastha. To begin with, the group is looking to launch a Gujarati news channel.
It is learnt that recruitment for the Punjabi news channel has been completed in the Chandigarh office and the company is only waiting for the up-linking license from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
“We want to become national media with multiple regional news channels. We have evaluated different regional markets and soon after the Punjabi channel launch, we would look at other regions,” Purkayastha told indiantelevision.com. He further said that the Punjabi news channel could be launched anytime and ABP was only waiting for a green signal from the authorities.
Asked about the business model for the Punjabi and regional news channels, Purkayastha said it would remain the same. “The model would be the same just like the one in Bengal and Maharashta,” he said.
Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that the news network had plans to expand into regional languages or tier II cities as it had saturated its potential in the metros. At the time, it had identified Punjabi as the first regional language it would foray into.
Besides, part of ABP Group’s Media Content and Communication Services, ABP Anando, which had announced an 8-15 per cent hike for employees nearly nine months ago, has actually paid the hike arrears to all the personnel. “ABP announced around nine months ago and has paid all the employees the arrears. ABP Anando will play a big role during election time. Employees are happy to receive the amount, and all are willing to work hard going forward,” said an ABP insider.
About the payment of arrears, Mumbai-based KRIS Capital director Arun Kejriwal said, “Revenues are flowing and they want to retain talent. The experienced and talented are in short supply.”
ABP is the undisputed leader in eastern India with its English daily, The Telegraph, and highest-selling Bengali daily, Ananda Bazaar Patrika.
While Anandabazaar.com, the online version of Ananda Bazaar Patrika, which registers around 22 million page views per month, witnesses 30-35 per cent visitors from abroad; according to ABP vice president, Bengali Dailies Supriyo Sinha. While the ABP Group did not earlier believe in having a presence on social networking websites, it has seen around 2.83 lakh likes on its facebook page, which was created around 10 months ago.
“After studying, it was noticed that people spend around 9-10 minutes on our website. Whereas, the average time spent on other regional Bengali news portals is around 4-5 minutes. In order to retain No 1 position in Bengal, we have renewed our presentation. We have to diversify and customise the content for different target audiences,” said Sinha.
Less than two years ago, the group launched a Bengali tabloid ‘Ebela’ the circulation of which is around 4 lakh per day in West Bengal. “The circulation of Ananda Bazar Patrika is around 57 lakh in the state per day,” she added.
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.
