News Broadcasting
Aditya Raj Kaul joins NDTV as senior executive editor for geopolitics and security
NEW DELHI: NDTV has named Aditya Raj Kaul senior executive editor for geopolitics, national security and strategic affairs at NDTV 24×7, bolstering its newsroom with one of India’s most seasoned voices on foreign policy and defence.
Kaul wasted no time settling in. On his very first day, he was filing dispatches from Tianjin, China, where Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin gathered for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
With more than 15 years in frontline journalism, Kaul has reported from some of the world’s most volatile flashpoints — the India-China standoff in Ladakh, the abrogation of Article 370, the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Jordan, major terror strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and India’s first state visit to Israel and Palestine. He was the first journalist on the ground during the 2014 Kashmir floods and has tracked disasters from Uttarakhand to Chhattisgarh’s Maoist belt.
His international docket includes the G20 in Australia, Brics in China, Asean in Malaysia and Vietnam, and Saarc in Nepal, alongside high-level visits to the US, Germany and Israel. Along the way, he has secured exclusives with leaders such as S. Jaishankar, Amrullah Saleh, Tony Abbott and Benjamin Netanyahu.
An award-winning documentary maker, Kaul’s films include Airlift on India’s evacuation in Ukraine and Killed by the Taliban on the death of Danish Siddiqui. His work has earned the Golden DigiPub World Award, News Television Award, and the Ram Jethmalani Prize.
Rahul Kanwal, NDTV’s chief executive and editor-in-chief, hailed him as “among the finest in the field of strategic and international journalism,” adding that his presence in Tianjin on day one “shows his readiness and NDTV’s intent to be at the forefront of global stories.”
Kaul said he was “honoured to join NDTV at this important juncture,” pledging to bring “clarity and context to events that impact millions.”
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.
