News Broadcasting
NDTV Battleground Finale with Dr. S. Jaishankar highlights foreign policy
Mumbai: The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are nearing the slogovers, with only two rounds of voting left, on 25 May and 1 June.
To gauge the public mood and understand the electoral atmosphere, NDTV brought a special “Battleground” series that saw editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia travel to various states and decode the electoral issues on the ground, and political and caste equations.
On Battleground’s finale tonight, foreign minister Dr S Jaishankar gave his prediction on the BJP’s 2024 performance. Pro-incumbency in several states and growing support in areas that are not the BJP’s traditional strongholds would ensure that the party beats its 2019 score, Dr Jaishankar said in a special conversation with Sanjay Pugalia.
Asked what number he would choose if he has to place a bet on the BJP’s tally in these polls, Dr Jaishankar said he would leave the numbers to experts. “But I can tell you one thing, I had several public interactions in this election. I think the support base in very solid. People have a way of showing pro-incumbency. So I felt there is a pro-incumbency in several states,” he said.
“I can say that the trend in our favour is very positive. On the basis of my experience, I feel the numbers will increase, not decrease,” he said. He said the BJP would improve its tally in Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
The foreign minister also brushed aside speculation that regional issues could impact the BJP’s prospects.
“Local problems will be there but, in the end, when people vote, they will vote on whether they believe in Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Dr Jaishankar said.
The show also featured team lease services vice chairman Manish Sabharwal and former IMF executive director Surjit Bhalla.
“I have never seen such a one-sided election,” Surjit Bhalla said, expressing confidence that the ruling party’s tally would be record-breaking. Asked to guess the BJP’s seats, he suggested “350”.
He said the country had never seen the kind of progress or performance it had seen in the last 10 years. Arguing against the notion that it is a “wave-less election”, Bhalla remarked: “If the BJP wins a vote share of 42-47 per cent, which I have said in my book that it’s possible, then that is a wave.”
Manish Sabharwal said that the past 70 years had seen the delivery of democracy but not prosperity. “The last 25 years for India are very different from the next 25 years,” he said.
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.
