News Broadcasting
NDTV & Network 18 win top ‘NT’ honours; Aroon Purie gets Lifetime Achievement
NEW DELHI:The NDTV and Network 18 groups bagged top honours at the Second annual Indian News Television Awards held in New Delhi on Saturday, August 9, 2008.
Conceptualised and executed by IndianTelevision.com, the top honours were as follows:
In the English news segment: NDTV 24X7 won the News Channel Popular – (English) on the basis of TAM viewership ratings, CNN-IBN was the Numero Uno English News Channel of the year on the basis of maximum number of awards won in the news category and TIMES NOW was conferred the Best News Channel Critics – (English) award.
In the Hindi news segment, AAJ TAK was honoured with the Best News Channel popular – (Hindi) award while the Numero Uno Hindi News Channel of the year award went to NDTV INDIA.
In the Business news channels segment, Best Business news channel (Critic) award was bagged by CNBC TV18, while the Numero Uno Business Channel of the year honours were shared by CNBC TV18, NDTV Profit and CNBC Awaaz.
TV Today Group editor-in-chief and chairman Aroon Purie was honoured with the NT Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the TV news industry. He received the award from NDTV chairman Prannoy Roy.
Purie said, “I love news. Twenty-four-hour news channels are the greatest invention of recent times. They have changed the way of public discourse. India is a great country to have so many news channels as many things keep happening every day at every hour. It is like a Formula1 race car, which never stops.”
Purie has been instrumental in redefining journalism in India. In 1975, he founded the India Today Group, which is now acknowledged as one of India’s most diversified media conglomerates. The TV Today Group has launched a pack of four news channels, with Aaj Tak as a leader in the Hindi space.
Among the luminaries who attended the function at the Taj Palace hotel were MP Rajeev Shukla, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, former Test cricketer Madan Lal, BAG Films and Media MD Anurradha Prasad and fashion designer Ritu Kumar among others.
The show, anchored by Channel V veejays Lola Kutty and Juhi, saw spirited performances by A Band of Boys.
Award List:
Sr.no. Category Awardee News Channel
1
Most Popular English News Channel
NDTV 24×7
NDTV 24×7
2
Most Popular Hindi News Channel
Aaj Tak Aaj Tak
3
Numero Uno English News Channel
CNN-IBN
CNN-IBN
4
Numero Uno Hindi News Channel
NDTV India
NDTV India
5 Numero Uno Business News Channel CNBC-TV18, NDTV Profit, CNBC Awaaz
CNBC-TV18, NDTV Profit, CNBC Awaaz
6
Best News Channel (Critics’ Choice) – English
Times Now
Times Now
7 Best News Channel (Critics’ Choice) – Hindi
8 Best News Channel (Critics’ Choice) – Business
CNBC-TV18
CNBC-TV18
9 Best TV News Anchor – English Rajdeep Sardesai
CNN IBN
10 Best TV News Anchor – Hindi Pankaj Pachauri
NDTV India
11 Best Business News Anchor – English Shivnath Thukral NDTV Profit
12 Best Business News Anchor – Hindi Mehraj Dubey NDTV India
13 Best Entertainment Critic Rajeev Masand CNN IBN
14 Best Entertainment News Show Host – Hindi Shekhar Suman Star News
15 Best Sports News Show Presenter – English Sonali Chander (Sports Unlimited) NDTV 24×7
16 Best Sports News Show Presenter – Hindi Afshan Anjum (Jeet Lee Duniya) NDTV India
17 Best TV News Reporter – English Poonam Aggarwal NDTV 24×7
18 Best TV News Reporter – Hindi Kamal Khan NDTV India
19 The Indiantelevision.Com Editor’s Special Award for Excellence as an Anchor
Romana Issar Zee News
20 Best Crime Show – Hindi Criminal
IBN 7
21 Best Crime Show – English India 60 Minutes (BMW Expose) NDTV 24×7
22 Best Auto Show – Hindi Chakke Pe Chakka Aaj Tak
23 Best Auto Show – English The Car & Bike Show NDTV Profit
24 Best Promo Campaign By a News Channel IBN CJ Concept CNN IBN
25 Best Promo for any News Show Aap Ka Budjet Aaj Tak
26 Best Promo for a Channel 21 Years Of Experience NDTV 24×7
27 Lifetime Contribution to Television News Aroon Purie, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief
TV Today Network
28 Best Lifestyle & Fashion News Show – Hindi Zaika India Ka NDTV India
29 Best Lifestyle & Fashion News Show – English Business On Course NDTV Profit
30 Best Entertainment News Show – Hindi Jai Jawan NDTV India
31 Best Entertainment News Show – English Jai Jawan NDTV 24×7
32 Best Sports News Show – Hindi Jeet Lee Duniya NDTV India
33 Best Sports News Show – English Final Score
CNN IBN
34 Best Talk Show on News Channel- Hindi
Zindagi Live (Family Of Suicide Victims)
IBN 7
35 Best Talk Show on News Channel- English State Of The Nation CNN IBN
36 Best Business Talk Show – Hindi Kaun Rahega Corepati CNBC Awaz
37 Best Business Talk Show – English Young Turks CNBC TV 18
38 Best Business News Programme – Hindi Stock Talk CNBC Awaz
39 Best Business News Programme – English UP South CNBC TV 18
40 Best Investigative News Report – Hindi Maya (Godmen OR Conmen) & Operation Kalank (Gujarat Riots)
IBN 7 &
Aaj Tak
41 Best Investigative News Report – English (NDTV Special) Bangladesh Special NDTV24x7
42 Best News Documentary Programme-limited Episodes – Hindi Khas Khabron Ki Khabar – Bundelkhand NDTV India
43 Best News Documentary Programme – limited Episodes – English Remembering 7/11: Let We Forget CNN IBN
44 Best Show On Environment Awareness – Hindi Shikhar Se Oonche NDTV India
45 Best Show On Environment Awareness – English A Question Of Land CNN IBN
46 Best Current Affaris Programme-Limited (Home & International) – Hindi Khas Khabron Ki Khabar – Sez NDTV India
47 Best Current Affairs Programme-limited (Home & International) – English Devil’s Advocate CNN IBN
48 Best Daily Newscast – Hindi News Point NDTV India
49 Best Daily Newscast – English India 60 Minutes NDTV 24×7
50 Best-Presented Popular News Show – Hindi Khabardar NDTV India
51 Best-Presented Popular News Show – English Face The Nation (Chak Diya India Special) CNN IBN
52 Most Popular Entertainment News Show Saas Bahu aur Saazish Star News
53 Best News Channel Website
IBN Live.com CNN IBN
SPECIAL AWARDS PRESENTED BY MOVICO
54 Movico Technology Award for Business News Channel To Watch Out for in the coming year UTVi UTVi
55 Movico Technology Award for Pioneering initiatives in Digital Technology
NewsX
NewsX
56 Movico Technology Award for Hindi News Channel To Watch Out for in the coming year Voice of India Voice of India
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.
