News Broadcasting
IL&FS fund invests Rs 400 million in TV18’s Global Broadcast News
MUMBAI: Global Broadcast News (GBN), a Television Eighteen Group company, has raised Rs 400 million from Leverage India Fund, a fund managed by IL&FS Investment Managers Ltd (IIML).
Indiantelevision.com learns that GBN has been valued at slightly over Rs 4 billion.
According to sources close to the deal, Leverage India Fund will hold a minority stake in GBN at a later stage. GBN owns and runs the newly launched English-language general news channel, CNN IBN.
“The support and funding that we have received from a strong investor like IIML puts GBN in a strong spot to build on its growing leadership position within the Indian broadcasting industry,” GBN director and TV18 Group managing director Raghav Bahl said in a communication to the Bombay Stock
Exchange today.
GBN, which has plans to run a slew of TV channels, had inked a co-branding deal in 2005 year with Turner International (a Time Warner company), owners of CNN.
Last year, the TV18 Group had announced a restructuring to comply with government norms related to news channels that mandates foreign investment in news channel uplinking from India cannot be over 26 per cent.
The business news operations (including Awaaz and CNBC TV18) is being consolidated in TV18, whereas Network 18 India Holdings Ltd will hold majority stakes in TV18 and GBN.
Television Eighteen stock today closed on the Bombay Stock Exchange at Rs 411.40, having opened the day at Rs 420.
(1 US$ = Rs 44)
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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.
