News Broadcasting
India TV appoints Gulab Makhija as CFO
MUMBAI: India TV has poached three senior executives from TV Today Network and made a few other key appointments.
The Rajat Sharma-promoted company has appointed Gulab Makhija as its chief financial officer. He will be responsible for financial management and control systems in the company’s growth plan.
Prior to joining India TV, Makhija was CFO at TV Today Network where he was instrumental in cost optimisation across the network.
Meanwhile, as a part of its growth strategy, India TV has also announced other key appointments.
Rohit Lal has been appointed as VP Programming. Lal comes with experience of programming at Zee, IBN and Star networks.
Prashant Sharda, who was with Nokia, has joined as VP Digital Media to look after mobile, 3G, and streaming and India TV’s website, while working towards digital convergence for the company.
Shubhra Manasi comes from TV Today and will look after Strategic Planning and Research functions for the company as DGM.
Pradeep Khatri has joined as chief manager- marketing. He also comes from TV Today and will be responsible for marketing communication, sales support & sponsorship marketing functions.
India TV MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan said, “We are happy to induct new team leaders and expect that their proven track records will add strength to the existing strong team. We together look forward to further consolidate our leadership position in the Hindi news genre and set new benchmarks in the domain.”
Makhija added, “I look forward to a great opportunity and exciting times with India TV, a company that is all set to take the leap to the next level of success.”
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.
