News Broadcasting
Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation holds 24 AGM in Delhi
Mumbai: 24 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) was held in Delhi on 31 Oct 2023.
The following directors were re-elected to the board during the AGM:
1. K. Madhavan
2. Punit Misra
3. I. Venkat
4. Rajat Sharma
The other directors on the Board of Directors of IBDF are:
1. Rahul Joshi
2. Aroon Purie
3. N. P. Singh
4. Nitin Nadkarni
5. Punit Goenka
6. R. Mahesh Kumar
7. Gaurav Banerjee
The Office Bearers of the Foundation are:
1. K. Madhavan, President-IBDF
2. Rajat Sharma, Vice President, IBDF (News & Current Affairs)
3. Rahul Joshi, Vice President, IBDF (Govt. & Regulatory Affairs)
4. Punit Misra, Treasurer, IBDF
In the IBDF Board of Directors meeting that followed the AGM, John Brittas and Kevin Vaz were Co-opted to the Board.
IBDF also hosted a lunch in honour of Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Hon’ble Minister for Information & Broadcasting. Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Shri Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary (P&A), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting also joined the IBDF members on the said occasion.
Addressing the members during the AGM, IBDF president, K. Madhavan said, “despite the ongoing geo-political issues like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East due to the Israel-Hamas war and accompanying economic volatility, the Indian economy in general and the Media & Entertainment industry, in particular, have shown extreme resilience”.
He added that “India has firmly embarked on a digital transformation journey with 868 mn broadband users in India, and within a year of launch, 5G services have been rolled out across 97 per cent of Indian cities resulting in internet speeds going up by three times. Connected TV continues to grow with 90 per cent of TV sets sold in India being smart TVs. 2023 will be a defining year for the Indian M&E industry with digital ad revenue expected to surpass ad revenue on traditional media”.
Madhavan also spoke about the Linear TV penetration in the country and said “With 900 channels, Linear television continues to enjoy an unparalleled reach of 900 million viewers and is the largest media platform in India. Unlike in other developed markets, there is significant growth potential for Linear TV as one-third of households in India do not have access to television. It will require the collective might of the IBDF members to connect the left out 100mn households to our fold.”
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.
