News Broadcasting
Chrome Data: Mandela helps Infotainment channels gain OTS
MUMBAI: Last week, the world woke up to the news of the demise of Madiba aka Nelson Mandela. As the world came to terms with the loss of the man who changed and helped shape the history of South Africa, social media and media went berserk.
Leave aside news channels, even the infotainment channels competed with each other to come up with more special segments on the revolutionary-turned-prisoner-turned-president-turned-legendary.
And it shows in week 50’s opportunity to see (OTS) data provided by Chrome Data Analytics & Media which keeps a tab on around 73 million TV homes nationally in analogue cable TV, digital cable TV and DTH. Infotainment channels were the biggest beneficiaries of the week with a gain of 3.6 per cent. Discovery Channel garnered the highest OTS among the players in the segment with its 89.1 per cent on an all India basis.
Close behind was the English movies genre with a 3.3 per cent increase in the eight metros. As most channels gear up to air the biggest blockbusters to wrap up the year, movie buffs aren’t complaining. Sony Pix scored a 88.7 per cent in its OTS during week 50.
Despite India losing to the Proteas in South Africa, sports buffs continued to tune into the action on the greens. The genre did appear in the top four categories with a 2.6 per cent gain. Ten Sports, the channel airing the matches, gained the most with 78.7 per cent OTS across India.
The Delhi election aftermath did catch people’s attention with News channels in the eight metros seeing a jump of 1.9 per cent. Arnab Goswami’s Times Now topped the charts with 91.3 per cent OTS.
As for the bottom four categories, English entertainment channels saw a huge drop of 7.5 per cent in the eight metros. AXN registered 81.8 per cent OTS in the genre while others lagged behind.
Religious channels saw a minor fall in the Hindi speaking market (HSM) at 0.6 per cent. Aastha channel continued to top the genre with a 97.9 per cent OTS. Next in the line was the Hindi movie channel genre which sank 0.3 per cent with Star Gold continuing its golden run in the HSM with its 96.8 per cent OTS.
Hindi News channels in the HSM region too saw a 0.3 per cent fall. Aaj Tak got the highest OTS at 93.6 per cent.
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.
