News Broadcasting
NDTV narrows Q4 standalone net loss to Rs 158.7 mn
MUMBAI: News broadcaster NDTV Ltd has narrowed its standalone fiscal final quarter net loss to Rs 158.7 million, from Rs 231.7 million a year ago.
The company has managed to reduce the net loss on the back of “sustainable cost rationalisation”, even if its income from operations saw a 10.59 per cent dip.
Income from operations for the quarter under review stood at Rs 967.2 million, as against Rs 1.08 billion a year ago.
NDTV also posted standalone loss from operations (before other income, interest & exceptional items) of Rs 16.9 million, against a profit of Rs 83.5 million in the earlier year.
Expenses from news operations stood at Rs 997.6 million, compared to Rs 1.03 billion in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.
For the full fiscal, NDTV’s standalone net loss came down to Rs 191.5 million, from a net loss of Rs 986.3 million in the earlier year. Income from operations went up by almost 5 per cent to Rs 3.63 billion, from Rs 3.46 billion.
NDTV’s FY’2011-12 loss from operations (before other income, interest & exceptional items) came down to Rs 200 million, compared to a loss of Rs 426.4 million a year ago.
Though expenses remained flat at Rs 3.98 billion (from Rs 3.97 billion), NDTV said that the company has undertaken a group-wide exercise to improve efficiencies and cut wasteful expenses, while “ensuring that content and production values are not compromised”.
“As a result, there has been a significant 16 per cent reduction in operating and administration expenses over the last financial year,” it said.
On a consolidated basis, NDTV posted a net loss of Rs 413.3 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2012, as against a net loss of Rs 608 million a year ago.
Income from operations on a consolidated basis grew marginally to Rs 1.35 billion (from Rs 1.32 billion), while total expenses stood at Rs 1.42 billion, compared to Rs 1.48 billion.
For the fiscal ended 31 March 2011, NDTV posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 873.8 million, as against a net loss of Rs 1.74 billion in the earlier year. Income from operations stood at Rs 4.74 billion, up from Rs 4.23 billion a year ago, while expenses rose marginally to Rs 5.31 billion, from Rs 5.27 billion.
NDTV also said that its new businesses are giving rise to new revenue streams. It said that NDTV Good Times continued its reign as the numero uno lifestyle channel in India. NDTV Lifestyle, which operates the channel NDTV Good Times, witnessed a “significant rise in revenues, reporting around 38 per cent growth over the last fiscal year”.
Meanwhile, NDTV Convergence, which operates the Internet and mobile business of the group, recorded a five-fold jump in PAT for the year ended 31 March 2012. Revenues rose by 60 per cent over the last fiscal year.
NDTV WorldWide has turned profitable. “PAT for NDTV WorldWide, the media consultancy business of the group, doubled during the year ended 31 March 2012. Revenues tripled over the last fiscal year,” NDTV said.
In the one-time write-off, the company said, “The major exceptional items relate to closure of operations of Turner General Entertainment, which operated the General Entertainment Channel, ‘Imagine’ (earlier, known as ‘NDTV Imagine’ prior to sale of stake to the Time Warner group), in which NDTV had retained a minor stake. Further, an investment in a listed entity, whose market value has reduced significantly, has also been provided for.”
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.
