News Broadcasting
HT forays into web 3.0 with NFTs documenting 100 years of Indian history
Mumbai: Hindustan Times has announced its foray into web 3.0 with the launch of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) under the banner of ‘HT Timeless Tokens,’ which will document India’s 100-year-old history as digital art.
HT Timeless Tokens will include digitised versions of original historic creatives which were published in Hindustan Times through the decades.
Some of the NFTs launched by HT include the iconic cover page of first republic day HT edition, and others inspired by events such as the success of the first missile launch, and India’s first historic win at the World Cup in 1983 against the West Indies.
NFTs are a digital certificate of ownership of a piece of digital asset that can be bought and sold. The exclusive digital artworks launched by HT can be purchased with cryptocurrency and Fiat currency. They present an opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to claim a piece of India’s glorious history filtered through the lens of Hindustan Times.
To begin with, HT has launched NFTs celebrating India’s Republic Day on 26 January. They are available on Beyond Life, an NFT marketplace and platform that facilitates the creation, sale, and purchase of ownership rights to digital works of art via NFTs. Powered by GuardianLink.io – BeyondLife. Club is also responsible for launching two of the greatest NFT drops so far – Amitabh Bachchan’s rare exclusive NFT and Marvel creator Stan Lee’s exclusive NFT collection ‘Chakraverse.’
“With industries like tech, finance, lifestyle, music and media advertising companies moving into the crypto/NFT ecosystem, new opportunities are set to be unlocked in the space of Web3,” said GuardianLink.io COO and founder Kamesh Elangovan. “The secondary marketplace for NFTs at GuardianLink.io will see more and more collectors investing with knowledge on the future monetisation of their NFTs. The partnership with Hindustan Times opens yet another avenue to explore the world of NFTs in the media and marketing industry.”
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.
