News Broadcasting
CNN to look at India’s economy in a week-long special
MUMBAI: US broadcaster CNN has announced that it will present all shades of the country’s vibrant economy in a dedicated week-long India Programming that airs from 24 -28 November.
With the world mired in an ongoing financial crisis, attention is turning more than ever towards India’s robust economic growth. CNN International brings its global viewers a week of in-depth live programming, India Means Business, that puts the country’s economic fortunes firmly in the spotlight.
Leveraging its three-city strong newsgathering operation in India, combined with CNN’s Asia-Pacific newsgathering resources, India Means Business will examine how the world’s largest democracy is coming of age as a business powerhouse. CNN goes inside the lives and businesses of India’s brightest and most successful entrepreneurs to find out and examine what is driving heir success and failures.
India Means Business is hosted by CNN’s ‘World Business Today’ anchor Andrew Stevens live from India’s financial capital, Mumbai, while CNN is using its India-based team of correspondents to bring reports from around the country; Sara Sidner in Delhi, Mallika Kapur in Mumbai and Liz Neisloss in Chennai. Reports from international destinations including New York, London and Beijing round up the global focus on India.
CNN’s New Delhi bureau chief Phillip Turner said, “The title of our week India Means Business says it all. We are using our three newsgathering centres in India, live programming from around Mumbai and extensive international resources to reveal what drives this unique and diverse economy. The week is perfectly timed to focus on India’s position amidst global economic turmoil as well as spotlight India’s unique business culture.”
‘India Means Business covers a wide rage of topics including India’s retail boom; how the highs and lows of the property market impacts the country’s economy; the fast-paced media industry, the rise of entrepreneurs and how cricket has become a money spinner. The vagaries of the stock exchange and the impetus on infrastructure will also be discussed and analyzed. The week further takes a close look at Indian government’s initiatives to upgrade the country’s famously creaky infrastructure and political system to help keep up the pace of growth in an economy second only to China in its dynamism.
CNN’s global audience in more than 200 countries and territories will have anytime access to ‘India Means Business’ through the dedicated microsite www.cnn.com/india that goes live November 14. The site features video of packages and reports, blogs from CNN’s ‘India Means Business’ reporting team and in-depth stories from Time, CNNMoney and Fortune. The site will also provide exclusive content ranging from ‘India’s changing trade relationship’ to ‘India’s role as a growing automotive player’, by former CNN journalist and specialist on Indian economy, Geoff Hiscock.
The CNN online team also look at the recession-proof business of Mumbai’s famous ‘Dabbawalas’ that has gone online for booking lunches and hears from a unique naked business guru who is CEO of a Chennai fashion company.
Making this special week interactive, CNN’s viewers from around the world will be invited to submit their stories, photographs and videos capturing their impressions on why ‘India Means Business’ through CNN’s innovative i-Report initiative.
India Means Business is co-sponsored by Kirloskar Brothers Ltd, Aditya Birla Group and the Tea Board of India.
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.
