News Broadcasting
Campus to newsroom Network18 bets early on India’s next media leaders
MUMBAI: Careers, like headlines, are better when they start strong. Network18 has unveiled the NextGen Young Leadership Program (NYLP), a future-facing initiative aimed at spotting and shaping high-potential talent from India’s leading business, law and engineering campuses.
Rather than a conventional graduate intake, NYLP is positioned as a fast-track immersion into the country’s rapidly converging media and technology ecosystem. The idea is simple: move beyond induction decks and put young professionals into live environments where decisions, deadlines and data collide from day one.
Designed for engineering students, B-school graduates and media-tech enthusiasts, the programme blends on-the-job training with real-time business exposure. Participants will work on live projects, tackle active business challenges and rotate across functions and platforms, gaining a ringside view of how one of India’s largest media networks operates.
Network18 says the emphasis is on learning by doing. Cross-functional exposure and mentorship from senior leaders are built into the structure, allowing participants to develop commercial thinking alongside technical and editorial awareness, a skill mix increasingly critical in modern newsrooms and content businesses.
The programme also reflects a broader talent strategy. According to Network18, NYLP is intended to create a long-term pipeline of young, diverse professionals while building sustained partnerships with universities and educational institutions across the country.
For a network of Network18’s scale, the stakes are high. The group operates 20 television channels across more than 12 languages, alongside seven digital news platforms in 13 languages. Its portfolio includes national brands such as CNN-News18, News18 India, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and digital heavyweights like Moneycontrol, Firstpost, News18.com and ForbesIndia.com.
As news, information and infotainment businesses become increasingly technology-led, the competition for adaptable, future-ready talent is intensifying. NYLP appears to be Network18’s answer to that challenge, an attempt to meet young professionals earlier in their careers and shape them within the organisation’s evolving media-tech ecosystem.
In an industry often accused of reacting late to change, Network18’s latest move suggests one thing: when it comes to talent, the network would rather break the story early.
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.
