News Broadcasting
DD gears up for 3rd annual awards function on Saturday
MUMBAI: It will be an evening of song, dance and reward for hard working folk in the television industry. The third annual Doordarshan Awards will take place on 22 November in the suburb of Goregaon at the Sports Club from 6:45 pm onwards.
In all 54 trophies will be handed out. There has been an expansion this year. Five administration Awards have been added for each of the country’s zones. In the programme category there are 32 awards up for grabs. These include promo, best Kendra, animation, sports, women’s. DD has tied up with Wizcraft for the event. At a media briefing this afternoon DD Sahyadri head Mukesh Sharma noted that the surge of a more competitive work structure, an well as recognition of excellence had resulted in improvement in in-house software production.
I&B minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will be the chief guest. Also present will be Maharshtra’s chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal. Attendeees will see performance from the likes of Shaan, Sonu Nigam, Usha Uthup, Gurdas Mann. Lending a touch of glamour to the occasion will be stars from the television and film industry such as Star India CEO Peter Mukherjea, actor Jitendra, film director Shutosh Gowarikar.
Also present at the briefing was the Prasar Bharti chairman V Kamat. When asked by Indiantelevision.com as to the manner in which DD News would be functioning he pooh poohed talk that the channel would basically be a mouth piece for the government.
“DD News is a completely independent channel. There is no external pressure whatsoever. It was set up with the purpose of functioning autonomously and that is what we are doing. In fact if you have been watching us we have done stories and news features that have criticised the government. We also cover the news better than anyone else out there and as time goes on we will continue to improve.”
The channel also put out figures that back his claim. Tam data is for 3-11 November c&s 4+ for all Hindi news channels. DD News has a cumulative reach of 22 per cent. Only Aaj Tak is ahead with 26 per cent. Star News is beind with a share of 20 per cent followed by Zee News with 19 per cent. NDTV India has a share of 18 per cent.
The story is similar for the audience shares. Once again DD News is second to Aaj Tak. It has a share of 21 per cent while Aaj Tak’s is 29 per cent. Sahara Samay is languishing at the bottom of the barrel with a share of six per cent.
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.
