News Broadcasting
NDTV, Hindu Group complete sale of MetroNation Chennai to Dina Thanthi promoters
MUMBAI: News broadcaster New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) and Kasturi and Sons Limited (the publishers of Hindu newspaper) have exited from their loss-making city-centric English language channel in Chennai.
The two joint venture partners had put MetroNation Chennai Television Ltd, which ran the NDTV Hindu channel, on the block and were looking for a buyer for long. Now they have completed the sale of MetroNation to Educational Trustee Company Private Limited (ETCPL), the holding company of Tamil daily Dina Thanthi.
Dina Thanthi owners, thus, get a television presence in the Tamil Nadu market. The Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun Group, dominating the TV broadcasting space, has also got a print presence after acquiring Dinakaran.
NDTV said the regulatory and statutory approvals have been received and they along with Kasturi and Sons Ltd (KSL) have transferred their respective stakes in MetroNation to ETCPL. With this, MetroNation Chennai TV (MNC) becomes a 100 per cent subsidiary of ETCPL.
NDTV held 51 per cent stake in the company while Kasturi and Sons held the remaining 49 per cent. MNC ran Chennai’s first and only city based English news and current affairs channel NDTV Hindu.
The channel launched in 16 May 2009. In February 2011, NDTV started looking for investors as losses in MetroNation amounted to Rs 275.1 million. The channel was set up with a capital of Rs 102 million.
In October 2011, the promoters of Dina Thanthi had agreed to buy out the shares of NDTV and Kasturi and Sons to gain 100 per cent control of MNC for an estimated Rs 150 million.
The completion of the sale of MNC cements NDTV’s exit from its loss-making ventures. In December 2009, the broadcasters made an exit from their cash-guzzling Hindi general entertainment business, selling their 92 per cent stake in NDTV Imagine to Time Warner for $126.5 million.
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.
