News Broadcasting
Mirror Now aims to be no. 2 Eng news channel in 2018: Faye D’Souza
MUMBAI: Within a year of its launch, Times Television Network’s news channel Mirror Now has achieved phenomenal publicity. Not only has rapid digitisation and its focus on socio-economic issues spurted the channel’s ratings and impact on viewers but also the impressive aura of its executive editor and primetime anchor Faye D’Souza championing the cause of women in media.
The channel launched on 23 March 2017 replacing Magicbricks Now, the network’s partnership with real estate company Magicbricks, which focussed on the country’s realty business. On the other hand, Mirror Now highlights issues that impact people’s daily lives covering issues such as crime, women’s safety, traffic woes, cleanliness, health, environment, power and water to make India a better place to live.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Faye D’Souza says, “The trend which we started and other channels are now following is to bring up the real issue. It was an idea for a channel that the management and we believed in. The kind of response we got from the viewers is very heartening.”
The channel is getting more traction from primary urban centres like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. “The traction is not only in the form of ratings but also as feedback through emails and social media platforms which we receive,” D’Souza adds.
In the month of July last year, the strongest markets mentioned by D’Souza were Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Its plan last year was to engage viewers of 34-36 cities with a million plus population in India. “Our aim is to be number two in English news channel genre by the end of 2018. We take a lot of feedback from our viewers. We don’t want to compete with other English news channels because if we compete we will be forced to cover news the way they do” she says.
The channel’s aim is to increase news coverage in more cities. “For Mirror Now 2018 would be to constantly think of fresh ways to approach the news by putting up lot more programming and launching more shows after we had a slight setback because of the Kamala Mills fire,” D’Souza says.
The blaze that erupted in the Kamala Mills compound in Mumbai on 28 December impacted the operations of Times TV Network which has its headquarters and operations there. Right now, Mirror Now is using the Times Now and ET Now offices to function. D’Souza says that it will be a month before the channel can resume operations in its own office.
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Times Television Network’s operations affected by Kamala Mills compound fire
Mirror Now & govt working together on public issues without yelling, says Faye D’souza
Mirrow Now aims to engage viewers in 34-36 urban cities
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.
