News Broadcasting
NDTV Media appointed airtime sales rep for Mi Marathi
MUMBAI: NDTV Media has been appointed as the exclusive airtime sales representative for the soon-to-be-launched Marathi channel, “Mi Marathi” from the Adhikari stable. It will be responsible for all revenue generating efforts for the channel.
“This venture is the first step towards our entry into the regional space. With more and more niche and special interest channels taking market share, regional markets will witness an exponential growth. We believe that with the majority of the population speaking Marathi, the size of the Marathi regional market advertising pie will cross the Rs 120-crore mark by the year end. We are delighted and proud to be associated with Mi Marathi channel”, said NDTV Media CEO Raj Nayak.
Markand Adhikari in an earlier interview to Indiantelevision.com had revealed that the channel which has been in the docks for a while would be launched in February.
The baseline of MI MARATHI is “Aaplya Manasachi Aapli Vahini”, a channel by the Son of the Soil. Sri Adhikari Brothers have in the last 20 years, produced more than 2000 hours of Marathi programming for DD Sahyadri and Doordarshan’s national network.
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.
