News Broadcasting
GBN to fund Rs 708 million for Hindi news expansion and repayment of debt
MUMBAI: Global Broadcast News Ltd (GBN) will use a major part of the proceeds of its proposed Rs 1.05 billion initial public offering (IPO) for funding expansion into the Hindi news genre and repaying debt.
The company plans to pump in Rs 458.50 million in the Hindi news genre while Rs 250 million will be towards loan repayment. GBN, a TV18 Group company, manages English news channel CNN-IBN and Hindi channel IBN7.
On 25 July, GBN had entered into a share subscription cum shareholders agreement with the members of the Gupta family, BK Fincap Private Limited and Jagran TV Private Limited to subscribe to 76,485 equity shares, or 49 per cent, of the issued capital of BK Fincap for a total consideration of Rs 680 million. BK Fincap is the holding company of Jagran TV Limited which owns and operates the Hindi language news channel, Channel 7.
Out of the total consideration of Rs 680 million, GBN has already paid Rs 336.5 million. GBN is also under a contractual obligation to infuse Rs 115 million in BK Fincap before 31 December, 2006. So GBN will have to make a balance investment of Rs 458.50 million. “We propose to fund the entire expenses for the project through equity, which will be utilised from the net proceeds (0f the IPO),” the company said in its draft red herring prospectus filed with the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
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.
