News Broadcasting
Fast lane, clearer view India TV slows Speed News just enough
MUMBAI: In the race to be first, India TV has tapped the brakes strategically. The broadcaster has unveiled a refreshed avatar of its Speed News Channel, reworking India’s first 24×7 speed news platform to prove that fast doesn’t have to mean fleeting.
The rethink targets a long-standing pain point in speed bulletins: stories flashed for 4–5 seconds that leave viewers guessing. Under the new format, each item now runs 25–30 seconds, giving audiences time to grasp the full picture while keeping the ticker moving. The aim is pace with purpose clarity without killing momentum.
Programming under the new look promises sharper updates across politics, national developments, major events and international news, with enough context to make sense of the headlines rather than skim past them. The channel’s promise is simple: quick comprehension, not just quick cuts.
The revamp also tilts towards younger viewers. Alongside hard news, the channel will carry regular bursts on cinema and entertainment, sport, markets and business, gadgets, technology and product launches broadening the mix without diluting the speed brief.
Explaining the shift, India TV managing director Ritu Dhawan said audiences are asking for “clarity and context” even in fast formats. The updated Speed News, she noted, seeks to deliver complete information in a short span, aligning speed with responsible journalism.
By stretching the seconds but sharpening the substance, India TV is repositioning Speed News as a smarter sprint, one that values understanding as much as urgency, and suggests that in today’s attention economy, slowing down a touch may be the quickest way to stay informed.
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.
