News Broadcasting
NDTV’s Chaubey to head Broadcast News political bureau
MUMBAI: Broadcast News, the newly-floated television company by Television Eighteen Ltd in association with Rajdeep Sardesai and Sameer Manchanda, has managed to lure away one of the key editorial professionals from the NDTV team, even as other journalists are expected to join the new entrant in the English news channel space.
NDTV senior special correspondent Bhupendra Chaubey will be hopping on board Broadcast News as chief political correspondent, heading the political bureau. He will be designing and presenting special political programmes. He had a five year long stint at NDTV. Before joining NDTV, Chaubey dabbled in documentary film making.
Others who are scheduled to join Broadcast News from NDTV include, anchor-cum-correspondent Anubha Bhonsle, business correspondents Sandeep Banerjee and Arijit Burman.
According to broadcast industry sources, the four of them have put in their papers at NDTV. Additionally, senior correspondent Suman Chakraborty is also likely to make a trek to Broadcast News.
As Broadcast News editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sradesai has time and again said, the proposed news venture’s high point would be political news. Insiders say the slant is likely to be on views.
Though the name of the first channel from Broadcast News stable is yet to be finalised, a source close to the development said Indian Broadcast News or IBN is a name being toyed with.
Broadcast News is a venture that was set up earlier this year with TV 18 holding 74 per cent equity stake, while the remaining 26 per cent is distributed amongst senior people. The Raghav Bahl-promoted television Eighteen has announced that it plans to raise $50 million from international market for expansion and new products.
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.
