News Broadcasting
CNBC-TV18 gets Jay Leno back on board
MUMBAI: With the news channels bolstering its weekend viewing, CNBC had to jump in to buttress its menu. The business news channel has got back the double Emmy Award winner and multiple Emmy nominee Jay Leno as a one hour show premiering on Saturday, 1 November 2003 at 1 pm.
Tonight show with Jay Leno will add an international flavour to the Sunday Brunch band, which comprises of lineup of unique weekend shows: The Auto Show, Trendmill, Storyboard and Goodlife. While The Auto Show aired at 10:30 am offers an in-depth credible show on automobiles, Trendmill at 11:00 am Sundays offers an insightful look into the world of entertainment, fashion and lifestyle and Storyboard at 11:30 am and The Good Life Show at12:00 pm Sundays, offers a practical guide to healthy living that focuses on contemporary health issues the one of a kind advertising & marketing show.
Considered by many to be a “variety” show, Leno shows apart from the witty opening monologue and comedy segments also include celebrity interviews from the famous to the ordinary, musicians to comics, talented pets to the Fruitcake Lady, Jay’s couch sees a lot of action, says a company release.
Announcing the re-launch of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CNBC-TV18 VP, sales & marketing B Saikumar says, “The show is one more initiative in CNBC-TV18’s efforts to deliver to its discerning viewers a well-rounded business channel. We have always believed that Business is not a niche and the reintroduction of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno is further testimony to the fact. The Tonight Show will also bookend neatly our Sunday Brunch of feature shows: The Auto Show, Trendmill, Storyboard and Goodlife, which provide innovative and intelligent weekend viewing for our viewers”.
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.
