News Broadcasting
Ashu Dutt calls it quits with CNBC TV-18
MUMBAI: The churning in the news channels continue. CNBC TV-18’s Ashu Dutt, an established anchor on the business channel has called it quits.
When contacted, Dutt refrained from commenting on his exit. Television Eighteen CEO Haresh Chawla, however, said, “Ashu has decided to take on other opportunities and we wish him all the best.”
Beyond that Chawla did not say much, trying to downplay Dutt’s exit. Industry sources also indicated that Television Eighteen’s plans to launch a Hindi business channel, along with CNBC, may also get delayed from the projected launch time of end-2004.
Meanwhile, among his diverse assignments, Ashu has been CEO and director on the Board of Sab TV, business and financial markets anchor and business news consultant to Star News. On the corporate side, he has been a principal and head of the Media and Entertainment Practice for Heidrick & Struggles.
Currently, Dutt is working on three books for Penguin, the subjects focussing on financial markets.
At Star News — at a time when content was being provided by NDTV— Dutt spearheaded the conception of a number of business and financial news segments and anchored Star Business News. Interestingly, Dutt was never a full-time employee of TV-18 and was appointed to overlook the editorial for personal finance shows like Insurance, Intelligence, Mutual Fund Investor and Classroom. A contractual agreement with TV 18 gave Dutt the freedom to pursue other businesses.
Industry sources, though, did say that Dutt’s exit would be a loss to the business news channel, considering Dutt’s experience and cachet in the financial markets.
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.
