News Broadcasting
CNN leads Asian news channels: Pax 2004
MUMBAI: PAX survey conducted by Synovate projects CNN as the undisputed news leader in Asia. The survey says the channel has grown its monthly reach among business decision makers, top management and the total PAX demographic.
On the other hand, BBC World, quoting the survey findings, claims a greater year-on-year increase in weekly viewing among top management than any other international news channel.
According to the survey, CNN International demonstrates the highest year-on-year growth in the news/business genre, adding over half a million more monthly viewers during 2004 (+18 per cent). The survey also shows the channel having a larger daily audience of top management and business decision makers than any other international cable/satellite channel.
In addition, the PAX survey indicates that the full-year survey results (Jan – Dec‘04) have revealed CNN International further increasing its lead over its nearest news/business competitor, with an 87 per cent audience advantage.
Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd vice president, news advertising sales William Hsu said, “The growth in our viewership proves that these upscale audiences recognize the increasing importance of news in this globalized world, and they’re getting what they need from CNN. This also justifies our continuous investment in newsgathering, programming, talent, and technology to offer the best news service in the field.”
Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd vice president research Duncan Morris said “Since moving to a rolling annual sample, PAX has allowed us to track long-term trends in our audience, which is now at an all-time high in terms of monthly viewers. The most recent two PAX data releases have also shown increases in our weekly audiences, indicating that new viewers are now becoming ever more regular viewers.”
According to the Synovate PAX Emerging Channel Indicator (Jul –Dec‘04), a companion survey to PAX, CNN.com is the leading regional media web site across the entire PAX sample, attracting twice as many of its audience as the next most targeted news/business web site, informs the media release.
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.
