News Broadcasting
ET Now launches series on successful entrepreneurs
MUMBAI: ET Now, the English business news channel, is gearing up to launch a 10 episodic series, Leap of Faith, starting 4 August.
The show will telecast the journey of true blue entrepreneurs, who have redefined the way business is done. “Leap of Faith will feature some of India’s innovative business leaders who, through their ideas, hard work and dedication have opened new avenues of business and will serve as inspirations for the future generations of young entrepreneurs,” the company said.
ET Now has roped in Bajaj Hindusthan, the sugar and ethanol manufacturing company of Bajaj Group, as the title sponsor for the show.
Some of the personals that the show will unravel include – PVR MD Ajay Bijli; MakeMyTrip.com CEO Deep Kalra; Dabur India vice chairman Amit Burman; and Volvo – Eicher CEO Siddharth Lal.
The show will be hosted by Simone Singh. The chat-based show is divided into three segments.
The first segment explores the inspiration, the toil and the challenges behind the enterprise; the second segment is driven by a mentor who discusses debates and guides the entrepreneur on his journey ahead. The third segment is a Q&A with business school students, some of whom would be future success stories, students who ask the obvious and the tough of the business leader. In this interactive segment B School students get the opportunity to converse with their role models as they share their perspective on life, the fundamentals of success and business.
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.
