News Broadcasting
Kartik Sharma to take over from Ajit Verghese in January 2014
MUMBAI: GroupM and Maxus has announced the new managing director for Maxus South Asia, Kartik Sharma. Sharma takes over the reins from current managing director Ajit Varghese wef January 2014, as Verghese moves into a new regional role as CEO Maxus Asia-Pacific.
Kartik moves up from Managing Partner, Maxus and will report into GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas and Verghese. He will also now be a part of the GroupM South Asia EXCO.
Commenting on Sharma’s Appointment, CVL Srinivas said, “Kartik has done a stellar job as managing partner, Maxus, working closely with Ajit in shaping the Maxus brand, creating client delight, winning several new businesses and helping Maxus dominate industry awards. I wish him the very best and also welcome him to the GroupM South Asia EXCO which will benefit immensely from his product knowledge and experience.”
On handing over the charge, Verghese added, “Kartik is an excellent choice for Maxus going forward especially considering his product strengths and client focus. A long standing employee of GroupM, he has the in-depth knowledge and insight of what is needed to take Maxus to the next level. Kartik has been the key architect in growing the Maxus Mumbai office 3 fold in the last 6 years and building up a collaborative culture of working across offices and between various teams inside GroupM.”
With over 18 years of experience under his belt, Sharma said on his appointment, “The last six years at Maxus has been very exciting. What I love most is the passion & collaborative culture where every team member works hard to deliver on our 10/10 vision of delighting clients. Our focus on constantly improving the product and the ability to develop a unique work culture has helped us deliver winning solutions for clients. I look forward to my new journey and am confident it will be equally exciting & fulfilling.”
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.
