News Broadcasting
CNBC TV18’s Udayan Mukherjee steps aside for Shereen Bhan
MUMBAI: The news came as a shocker to many. After 15 years with the Network18 group and CNBC TV18, managing editor Udayan Mukherjee has decided to step aside from his full time role, giving way to executive editor Shereen Bhan, who will step into his shoes and manage the channel on a day to day basis from 1 September 2013.
Udayan, who apart from working on the daily business news bulletin, anchors live market shows like Bazaar Morning Call and other daily and weekly shows like Corporate Radar and Taking Stock, will, however, continue to work with CNBC TV18 in an advisory and consultative capacity.
A release issued by Network18 stated that Udayan “has been facing issues of professional exhaustion.”
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Udayan Mukherjee will continue to work exclusively with CNBCTV18 in a consultative capacity
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The reasons for his decision are entirely personal; Udayan pointed out that he wants to devote more time to other pursuits. And confirming the Network18 statement on his exhaustion Udayan said in the release: “..the responsibility of running the channel has become repetitive and I had a difficult time motivating myself to continue. At this stage of my life I need to devote more of my time to other personal passions and interests.I wish the new editorial leadership team the very best and will try, in my limited way, to contribute to its success.
The senior Network18 management showered praise on Udayan even as he announced his decision. Network18 founder & editor Raghav Bahl and group CEO B. Sai Kumar both said that Udayan has ably led the team to many successes and has helped make CNBCTV18 a benchmark in business news. Said Bahl: “Shereen has all the skills and experience to take this mantle forward and we look forward to her leadership.” Added Sai Kumar: “In Shereen we entrust the task of leading CNBC-TV18 onto new levels of growth and leadership… look forward to his (Udayan’s) new role with us.”
(Updated 10:42 pm, 10 July 2013)
The Twitterverse was buzzing with tweets at the time of the announcement. Here’s some of them which were on the button and those which were not:
News Broadcasting
Network18 posts Rs 1,955 crore revenue, narrows FY26 losses
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.
