News Broadcasting
India Today Group to host e-Sahitya AajTak from 22-24 May
MUMBAI: Riding on the overwhelming response received by the recent digital versions of ‘Agenda AajTak’, the channel is now back with its specially curated e-version of ‘Sahitya AajTak’ from 22 -24 May . The flagship literature festival of the India Today Group will showcase unique conversations with prominent celebrities, singers, lyricists, writers, columnists and other distinguished personalities with rich insights on real life anecdotes and challenges arising out of the Corona virus crisis. e-Sahitya AajTak is a successful reinvention of an otherwise on-ground event not possible currently due to the nationwide lockdown. e-Sahitya AajTak will have over 28 speakers and 25 power-packed sessions over three days.
The e-literature fest promises to bring together a confluence of the greatest names in literature and the performing arts to express their views openly and engage in a meaningful dialogue. The big attractions of the three day event are Anup Jalota, Javed Akhtar, Hans Raj Hans, Surendra Sharma, Prasoon Joshi, Amish Tripathi, Ashok Vajpeyi, Swanand Kirkire, Chitra Mudgal, Manoj Muntashir, Javed Ali, Ashok Chakradhar, Asghar Wajahat, Piyush Mishra, Maithili Thakur, Chetan Bhagat, Neeraj Pandey, Manoj Tiwari, Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua), B Praak, Saloni Gaur, Cheshta Saxena along with the celebrated star cast from Ramayana and Mahabharata.
AajTak recently hosted several editions of Indian heartland’s biggest thought leadership summit ‘Agenda AajTak’ in the forms of ‘e-Agenda AajTak’. The summits were power packed events with a plethora of leaders on one common platform, deliberating on the present issues faced by the world’s largest democracy.
Innovations, like being the first Indian News channel to use drone camera for active news coverage, interviews on teleportation, implementation of the latest technologies in news delivery, besides a slew of new programming initiatives, exclusive interviews and Industry first events have kept the channel in pole position. India’s most watched and No.1 news channel AajTak for last 20 years (Source – BARC/TAM, 15+, HSM, in terms of Market Share) has also been the No.1 TV Channel during Coronatimes with 36 Crore viewers (Source: BARC, Absolute Cumm Reach, 2+, All India, Week 12-19'20).
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.
