News Broadcasting
Delhi Aaj Tak sets 29 May as launch date
MUMBAI: Finally the launch date of the proposed national capital region (NCR) channel from the Aroon Purie-promoted TV Today Network has been firmed up (at least targeted). The company has zeroed in on 29 May as the date for the channel’s debut.
This has been confirmed to indiantelevision.com by senior sources from within the company.
Targeting Delhi as well as the neighbouring satellite towns of Faridabad and Gurgaon in Haryana and Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the fourth sibling from the stable will encompass various local issues of the regions aimed at attracting Hindi speaking audiences.
While the sources refused to divulge any details on the programming front, offering only that while the channel would be a different product from market leader Aaj Tak, nonetheless it would maintain the essence of its established sibling.
As reported earlier, the uplinking clearance for Delhi Aaj Tak came through last year. The channel’s tag line is ‘Delhi Aaj Tak’: aapka sehar, aap tak (Delhi Aaj Tak: your city, up close), it will be beamed off Insat 2E.
The other news channels from the TV Today stable are however, likely to shift their beaming base from Insat-2E to Pas-10.
Last year, the network has launched its second Hindi news channel Tez tracing the format of English sibling Headlines Today (pacy news format). The channel focuses on quick delivery of news.
What needs to be seen is whether the company will also consider in its offering, other metro-centric products?
The NCR region already has a few existing players including Sahara NCR, S1 and Total TV servicing the viewers’ news appetite. Meanwhile, NDTV is also proposing a new product to service the metros, including Delhi.
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.
