News Broadcasting
NBDA delegation meets prime minister Narendra Modi
MUMBAI: The news broadcast industry has been complaining about its aches and pains in the face of shrinking ad revenues courtesy competition and the rise of digital for some time now. With a new dispensation in charge at the ministry of information broadcasting in the form of minister Ashwani Vaishnaw, and prime minister Narendra Modi at the helm of the country, a delegation from the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA) led by its president, Rajat Sharma, called on the two leaders to share the industry’s woes with them.
The delegation informed Modi about the industry’s health broadcast, constraints, problems, and challenges faced in the era of digital revolution which was severely impacting and affecting the growth of the ‘news’ genre.
The other members of the delegation were News 24 chairperson-cum-managing director Anuradha Prasad Shukla, TV18 Broadcast managing director Rahul Joshi, TV Today Network vice-chairperson & managing director Kalli Purie Bhandal, ABP Network director Dhruba Mukherjee, Zee Media advisor Anil Kumar Malhotra, NDTV director Sanjay Pugalia, Eenadu Television director I. Venkat, Sun TV managing director R Mahesh Kumar, Bennet Coleman & CEO news broadcasting business COO Varun Kohli and NBDA secretary general Annie Joseph.
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.
