News Broadcasting
Media Mogul Uday Shankar officially launches Upendrra Rai’s Bharat Express
Mumbai: Media veteran Uday Shankar has officially launched Upendrra Rai’s highly anticipated national Hindi news channel, Bharat Express amidst much fanfare at a dazzling ceremony organised at Hotel Andaz by Hyatt in New Delhi on 1 February 2023. The channel launch was attended by senior political leaders, Bollywood celebrities, sports icons and business luminaries namely minister for I&B and youth affairs & sports Anurag Thakur, minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, MoS home affairs Nityanand Rai, MoS fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying Sanjeev Balyan, former chief election commissioner of India Sunil Arora and Dr Kumar Vishwas. Bollywood singer B Praak also dazzled the audience with his impromptu performance.
Speaking at the launch Shankar said, “I wish Upendrra all the best at the launch of his media venture and congratulate the entire team of Bharat Express on a successful launch. Having known Upendrra for so many years, I am assured that Bharat Express will demonstrate paramount journalistic ethics when seeking and delivering news”
Extending his gratitude, CMD and editor-in-chief Upendrra Rai commented, “Uday Shankar has continued to inspire me through years and I am privileged to have him officially launch Bharat Express today. The channel will continue to reflect our core ethos of “Satya, Sahas and Samarpan” in the pursuit of bold and direct journalism. Given the quickly changing market dynamics, Bharat Express is well-equipped to deliver relevant news content to the evolving discerning news viewer”
Bharat Express will have a pan-India presence and is available across all major DTH and Cable Networks, namely, Tata Play – 535, Dish TV – 671, D2H – 753 and Airtel DTH.
Bharat Express CEO Varun Kohli said, “The launch has created a lot of hype and anticipation among viewers and advertisers alike. We are aiming to be a leader in the news space with an improved viewer engagement across our TV and digital platforms.
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.
