News Broadcasting
Marathi news vies for a larger share of the pie
MUMBAI: It’s a small rise, but a significant one for regional channels out to prove their mettle in an increasingly crowded market.
Despite the rise in the number of news channels in the last one year, Marathi channels have managed a slight growth in viewership shares during the time news bulletins were aired.
While the increase may be a negligible one per cent from a 77 per cent share in the last quarter of 2003 to 78 per cent in the first quarter of 2004, it has come at the cost of prominent players like Aaj Tak and Star News.
Alpha Marathi, which stepped up its news coverage from mid 2003 has gained the most – from a nine per cent share in late 2003, it has grown to 12 per cent, while ETV Marathi, the pioneer in the hourly news bulletins, has in fact, lost a tiny share by slipping to 28 per cent share from 29 per cent. DD Sahyadri, which continues to command the largest viewership for news bulletins in Maharashtra, too lost share – from its commanding position of 39 per cent share to 38 per cent.
Interestingly, although the state is yet to spawn regional news channels unlike in the south, regional news takes the largest chunk of viewership. The remaining 20 -22 per cent of news viewership is shared by Hindi news channels, among whom only NDTV India has picked up share in Maharashtra – from 3 to 4 per cent and Zee News that has picked up from 2 to 3 per cent.
Among overall channel shares, however, the Marathi channels have a long way to climb. In spite of slicked up programming, reigning entertainment channel Star Plus has held its own and increased its channel share from 44 to 46 per cent in Maharashtra, when compared with Marathi channels in Q1 2004 as against Q4 2003. The losers have been Sony Entertainment Television which fell from 18 to 16 per cent and Sahara Manoranjan that lost channel share from seven to four per cent. The Doordarshan run Sahyadri has not benefited from the general good fortune favouring Marathi channels however, and has stayed steady at a five per cent share in the two time periods compared.
Interestingly, even though viewership of Marathi channels did dip during the India Pakistan cricket series, the loss of viewership, even though it indicates a fondness for the sport among Maharashtrian viewers, was not very significant.
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.
