News Broadcasting
‘Duologue with Barun Das’ brings the unseen, unheard and unknown emotions of media pioneer Dr Subhash Chandra
Mumbai: Duologue with Barun Das has recently released its latest three-part webisodes, featuring Dr. Subhash Chandra, the man who pioneered private television in India, who bares it all, no holds barred. The webisodes are divided into three parts: An Enduring Enigma, The Business of Life, and Creator & Destroyer.
Be it about his politics, business, or human resource management, Dr Chandra opens up to Barun Das as the latter probes him intently on many contentious issues, summing up the journey so far of someone who the world has hailed as a media mogul. The never-say-die entrepreneur also added that he is eyeing a 25 per cent stake in ZEEL, a company he founded but recently lost control of.
So, confiding in his former CEO, who is now TV9 Network MD & CEO Barun Das, Dr Chandra traverses the journey of life, noting its highs and lows since his days as a rice exporter. Duologue with Barun Das draws out the media and entertainment thought leader’s persona like never before.
For instance, when the talk is about Dr Chandra’s recent electoral loss, Duologue with Barun Das has him turn philosophical.
The insightful conversation actually draws the Haryana-bred entrepreneur into a myriad of unseen, unheard, and unknown emotions, from the sublime to the subtle, from sagacity to serendipity.
On being described as a creator and destroyer, Dr Chandra wears a grudging smile as if receiving the comment as a compliment. Duologue with Barun Das featured a review of Dr Chandra’s performance as a business leader, especially the focus on human resource management at the leadership level with top exits generating headlines for the right or wrong reasons.
Dr Chandra opens up about his date with politics, his love for the idiot box, his restlessness with some “bad hires,” and his new-found love for Japan (Sony). Or, in response to a question on the loss of control of ZEEL (which he founded as a young businessman), the chairman emeritus of the company says he has not thrown in the towel yet.
Incidentally, Dr Chandra had turned to Das during the ZEEL takeover, making a passionate plea for “saving Zee” and this did come up during the show, with Dr Chandra identifying those he wanted the company to be protected from.
Duologue with Barun Das, has Dr Chandra dwell at length on the political landscape in the country, with Das quizzing him on his love-hate relationship with AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal.
In response to a pointed question about how he sees Arvind Kejriwal and AAP’s future, given that he has been aspiring to be a challenger to Nerendra Modi, the Zee founder did not shy away from expressing himself openly. “I doubt that the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal will do any good for this nation.”
On the corporate takeover of media questions (in reference to the Adani-NDTV deal), Dr Chandra put up a straight bat, but not without having a swipe at the business magnate who now owns NDTV.
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.
