News Broadcasting
CNN popular among top management group: survey
MUMBAI: The latest Pan Asia Cross Media Survey (PAX 2002/03 suggests that CNN’s audiences earned US$79.9 billion in the past year.
According to the study posted on the CNN site, the PAX survey conducted by Synovate from July 2002 to June 2003, reveals that CNN is the leading channel for the top management group and business decision makers. (See graph below). The channel has attracted 39 per cent more top management in Asia than the next most targeted channel for this elite group.
Source: Pax Survey 2002-’03
The result of the full-year survey, released last week, also show CNN’s continued leadership of the news genre for the seventh consecutive year, with more viewers tuning in to the channel than all other international news and business channels combined.
The study claims that CNN excels in the broader PAX demographic groups, with no channel reaching more viewers in total. The channel shows 16.3 per cent coverage in 11 Asian markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and India. In India, the survey covered Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. It was noted that the channel is most watched by people with an annual income of 60+ US dollars. (See graph below).
A CNN release quotes Turner International Asia Pacific Inc’s senior vice president-news advertising sales, Nick Morgan as saying, “For the seventh year running, CNN leads the field in reaching this region’s most affluent consumers. Busy, successful people, who don’t have time for television, make time for CNN, in order to stay informed.”
According to the Turner International’s vice president, research, Duncan Morris, “From the PAX survey, it’s clear that CNN remains the most targeted means of reaching a high proportion of the region’s more affluent, mobile and successful people.”
Source: Pax Survey 2002-’03
CNN also continues to be the channel of choice for frequent business travelers, the release states, highlighting the PAX result which shows that the channel viewers accounted for 28 per cent more business hotel nights than the next most watched channel.
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.
