News Broadcasting
‘Me numero uno’ claims Radio City
MUMBAI: Radio City must be humming the victory tune.
Tom-tomming the ACNielsen ORG-MARG study results, Star’s FM radio arm is currently rejoicing as the No. 1 radio brand in the country.
In a press release issued by the company, the FM radio station, quoting the research finds, say that it has emerged as the No.1 FM radio station in Mumbai and Delhi.
It claims to have the highest listenership share amongst all radio stations. The research also underlines that Radio City has recorded the highest Total Awareness and Time Spent Listening amongst all FM radio stations.
ACNielsen ORG-MARG studied a cross section belonging to SEC A, B and C and from 15-45 years in both Mumbai and Delhi amongst Male/Female. The subjects belonged to households with FM access and listening to radio for atleast three days in last one week. The sample listing for the research was 1000 each for Mumbai and Delhi.
According to the release, in the multiple station cities of Mumbai and Delhi, Radio City has the highest listenership share with 42 per cent in Mumbai and 39 per cent in Delhi. The study also revealed that time spent listening to Radio City on a weekday varies on an average from 1 to 1.4 hours in both the cities, which is the highest amongst all radio stations.
Findings of the Research:
MUMBAI
| Station | Listenership Share (%) | TOM Awareness (%) | Time Spent Listening (Hrs.) |
| Radio City |
42
|
40
|
1.4
|
| Radio Mirchi |
25
|
28
|
1.0
|
| Win |
18
|
14
|
0.7
|
| Vividh Bharti |
9
|
8
|
0.2
|
| Red |
5
|
6
|
0.2
|
| Others |
1
|
NA
|
NA
|
DELHI
| Station | Listenership Share (%) | TOM Awareness (%) | Time Spent Listening (Hrs.) |
| Radio City |
39
|
33
|
1.0
|
| Radio Mirchi |
34
|
41
|
0.9
|
| Win |
15
|
14
|
0.4
|
| Vividh Bharti |
7
|
7
|
0.2
|
| Red |
3
|
3
|
0.1
|
| Others |
2
|
NA
|
NA
|
Commenting on the findings, Radio City COO Sumantra Dutta said,” We have further consolidated on our leadership position due to a continued thrust on new program offerings and constant innovation of content on Radio City. We have also been able to get the patronage of advertisers with the highest share in terms of second-age and number of brands on air, amongst all FM radio stations.”
“It is a moment of pride for us as this recognition coincides with the forthcoming anniversaries of our two popular stations in the metros of Mumbai and Delhi,” he added.
The findings of the ACNielsen research also endorses the Radio Audience Measurement, Wave fifth and sixth study (syndicated), posting Radio City as the undisputed leader across all time bands, age-groups and socio-economic classes A to E in Mumbai, says the release.
The research also emphasises radio as the most often used medium for sourcing music and Hindi as the most preferred language not only for listening to music but also for Radio Jockey (RJ) talk.
According to the release, Radio City’s play list is designed from extensive consumer research. Touting the study, Radio City claims that it’s radio jockey’s have been able to bond with the listeners.
Besides the music based programme, the research also shows that there has been a fair amount of preference for non-music shows.
The newer programming initiatives like airing the series like Star Plus’ flagship soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Saans, Apradhi Kaun, and Darr have gone well with the audience. Besides, the stations fresh program offerings like Babbar Sher, Popat, and Public City, have also been well appreciated.
In a bid to buttress its listnership, the radio station also organises contests, call-ins and other interactive shows. One of the show Suno Aur Lakhpati Bano garnered as many as 12.3 million responses in just five weeks, says the release. While the first ever Junior RJ hunt, which culminated in a show hosted by the winners of the hunt, gave a platform for people to demonstrate their music ability.
Apart from the content delivered on air, Radio City has campaigned for various social causes. The station broadcasted intiatives like Gift A Toy, Seekho Sikhao campaign, Supporting the Traffic Police and Radio Awards for Public Service amongst others. It also conducted an auction for Hema Malini’s sari from the movie Baghbaan and the money collected was contributed to Concern India foundation, adds the release.
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.
