News Broadcasting
CNN wins best channel at ATF ’06; NDTV takes best news award
MUMBAI: In the recent 11th Asian Television Awards held in Singapore, CNN and NDTV 24X7 have scooped various awards for India.
CNN in the Asia Pacific region won Cable and Satellite Channel of the Year, CNN Today was selected as the Best news program, Kristie Lu Stout won the Best news presenter or anchor award, while Stan Grant won for Best current affairs presenter and also for Rising from the Ruins in the Best news/current affairs special category, asserts an official release.
Commenting on the win CNN International’s senior vice president Rena Golden said, “To take home the prestigious Cable and Satellite Channel of the Year award on top of four other honours is simply a brilliant achievement and testament to our world class on-air and behind-the-scenes teams across the Asia Pacific region.”
CNN International managing director Chris Cramer added, “This success is particularly sweet when you consider the proliferation of competition and the fact that these awards are voted for by our peers. Twenty one years after we launched, we continue to lead by example.”
NDTV 24X7 won The Best News Programme for Waves of Destruction, a runner-up for Best Single News Story/Report for Bihar Floods – Forces of Nature, a runner-up for Best Live Event Coverage for Blast in Srinagar Transport Office and a runner-up for Best News/Current Affairs Special for Inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Barkha Dutt was a runner-up for The Nation Tonight and Nidhi Razdan for The X-Factor in the Best News Presenter or Anchor category.
Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd’s Zoom TV India won the Best Entertainment Programme award for Dangerous.
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.
