News Broadcasting
Judy McGrath is MTV Networks chairman, CEO
MUMBAI: Former MTV Networks group president Judy McGrath has been promoted to the role of chairman and CEO.
McGrath takes on Viacom co-COO Tom Frestons previous role. This includes overall responsibility for the networks including MTV international, Nickelodeon, Spike TV. Meanwhile MTV Networks president and COO Mark Rosenthal has left the company.
It was last year that McGrath became MTV Networks group president. She had taken on the responsibility of MTV, MTV2, VH1, CMT and Comedy Central.
What is interesting is that at the Promax&BDA Conference in New York it was McGrath who made the suggestion to Promax&BDA president and CEO Jim Chabin that India should have its own conference. That came about as McGrath recognised India as playing an increasingly important role in the creative space.
Coming back to the promotion Freston added, “Judy is the perfect fit for this job. Ours is a business of creative vision, smart brand building, unrelenting consumer focus and good execution. We are riding at an all-time high now, clearly the industry leader, and I feel very proud and fortunate to be able to turn this job over to Judy and very much look forward to seeing her influence on the company grow and grow.”
McGrath said, “I couldnt be more excited and honoured to take on this new role. Over the past 17 years, Tom set the tone for the most unique and vibrant culture in the media world.
“My top priority is to continue to make this the best place for talented people to do their best work. I inherit the strongest management team in the business in Herb Scannell and Bill Roedy, and I cant wait to get started on working with them and their respective teams to take MTV Networks boldly into the future. This will be fun.”
MTV claims to be operating at record highs, from both a creative and business perspective. It claims a reach of 400 million viewers in 164 countries and 18 languages through 94 channels worldwide.
MTV’s parent Viacom issued a release stating that it was under McGrath’s direction that MTV grew from a maverick cable channel to a maverick global brand that has come to symbolise a culture, a style, an attitude and a vibrant musical landscape.
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.
