News Broadcasting
Janta TV brings Aidem Ventures on board
MUMBAI: Aidem Ventures, one of India’s leading independent media consulting, marketing and advertising sales company, already boasts of a well-known clientele including news channels Al Jazeera, Live India, Jai Maharashtra, Jaya TV Network and ABN Andhra Jyothi. Now, the company would be extending its services to the two-year old Hindi regional news channel Janta TV for which it would be handling the national ad sales.
The channel that describes itself “of the public” is popular in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh and is also available in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and New Delhi.
The channel was launched in 2011 with the motto “where no one stands we deliver” and the Aidem team will just take that forward.
“The Aidem team possesses a great amount of business appetite as also a thorough understanding of the broadcast media and of the Indian advertising market. Their ability to reach out to marketers across levels is their most salient feature. We are looking forward to the team’s industry knowledge and their national coverage to cover advertising opportunities across the country,” said Janta TV VP Gurbinder Singh.
“Bagging Janta TV is a big step towards our goal to build a more robust news media cluster thus easing the media buying process,” said Aidem Ventures Sr VP Shailendra Shetty.
“It truly is exciting to be part of the channel’s expansion quest. The team is geared to get their feet on the street to help Janta TV maximise their revenue potential,” added Aidem Ventures Sr VP for regional bouquet Alok Rakshit.
Aidem also handles channels like Mi Marathi, Sahara One, Sahara Filmy, Enter10 TV, Shagun TV, InSync and Channel UFX.
News Broadcasting
Network18 posts Rs 1,955 crore revenue, narrows FY26 losses
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.
