News Broadcasting
NDTV achieves operational breakeven
MUMBAI: Dr Prannoy Roy’s New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV) has announced its results for the quarter ended 31 March 2004. The company achieved cash break even in the fourth quarter in its first year of operation as a broadcaster.
The turnaround in the fourth quarter took place after losses in the first three quarters, a company release states. NDTV’s EBIDTA. (earnings before interest, depreciation and tax) in the fourth quarter amounted to a positive Rs 17.5 million, it said.
The breakeven was achieved with a sharp increase in income from advertisers. NDTV’s income for the fourth quarter amounted to Rs 239.8 million, compared to an income of Rs 341.4 million for the earlier nine months. (Average quarterly income reported during the first nine months works out to Rs 113.8 million.)
The company’s loss for the first three quarters was reported at Rs 473.8 million. This increased in the fourth quarter by a small amount provided for depreciation of Rs 26.1 million. For the full year, on a consolidated basis, NDTV has reported an income of Rs 689.8 million and a net loss of Rs 496.2 million, says the release.
The company recently came out with an IPO of 15.57 million equity shares of Rs 4 each at an issue price of Rs 70 per share. At the time of the IPO the company had a solid base of advertisers with 249 clients (402 brands), in the last three months this base has grown to 321 clients (565 brands) for the year as a whole.
The NDTV scrip is currently trading at Rs 85.25.
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.
