News Broadcasting
NDTV’s TV segment reports lower operating loss
BENGALURU: New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) Television segment reported lower loss at Rs 3.94 crore for the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q2-17, current quarter) as compared to the operating loss of Rs 8.41 crore during the corresponding quarter of the previous year (y-o-y). The segment’s consolidated operating loss in the current quarter was just a fraction of the operating loss of Rs 22.83 crore in the immediate trailing quarter (q-o-q).
Overall, the company reported almost flat y-o-y net loss after taxes of Rs 17.22 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 17.19 crore. Loss in the immediate trailing quarter was more than double at Rs 38.36 crore. NDTV attributes the improved performance to improved advertising revenues alongside lower costs in Convergence, NDTV’s digital content subsidiary and E-Commerce segment.
NDTV’s consolidated Total Income from Operations (TIO, revenue) in the current quarter declined 4.9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 123.31 crore from Rs 127.60 crore, but increased 9.3 per cent q-o-q from Rs 112.81 crore.
NDTV had negative EBIDTA (operating loss) of Rs 3.64 crore in Q2-17; negative EBIDTA of Rs 10.91 crore in Q2-16; and negative EBIDTA of Rs 26.78 crore in Q1-17.
Segment numbers
NDTV’s Television Media and related operations (Television) segment reported 3.4 per cent y-o-y decline in revenue in Q2-17 at 121.03 crore as compared to Rs 125.25 crore, but an 8.3 per cent q-o-q increase from Rs Rs 111.78 crore. The segment’s operating loss has been mentioned above.
NDTV’s Retail/eCommerce (eCommerce) segment reported 19 per cent y-o-y decline in revenue at Rs 3.20 crore as compared to Rs 3.95 crore, but a 60 per cent q-o-q increase from Rs 2 crore in Q1-17.
Let us look at the other numbers reported by NDTV
Total Expenditure (TE) in the current quarter declined 9.4 per cent y-o-y to Rs 134.84 crore (109.4 per cent of TIO) from Rs 148.77 crore (116.6 per cent of TIO) and declined 8.3 per cent q-o-q from Rs 147.11 crore (130.4 per cent of TIO) in Q1-17.
NDTV’s consolidated Production Expense (PE) increased 4.4 per cent y-o-y in Q2-17 to Rs 28.62 crore (23.2 per cent of TIO) from Rs 27.41 crore (21.5 per cent of TIO) and increased 1.9 per cent q-o-q from Rs 28.09 crore (24.9 per cent of TIO).
The company’s Marketing, distribution and promotional expense (Marketing expense) in the current quarter reduced 35 per cent y-o-y to Rs 19.67 crore (16 per cent of TIO) from Rs 30.28 crore (23.7 per cent of TIO) and declined 13.3 per cent from 22.69 crore (20.1 per cent of TIO) in Q1-17.
NDTV’s Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in Q2-17 declined 5.1 per cent y-o-y in Q2-17 to Rs 45.19 crore (36.6 per cent of TIO) from Rs 47.63 crore and declined 21.9 per cent from Rs 57.86 crore (51.3 per cent of TIO).
Operating and administration expenses (Admin expenses) in Q2-17 increased 10.5 per cent y-o-y to Rs 34.71 crore (28.1 per cent of TIO) from Rs 31.42 crore (24.6 per cent of TIO) and increased 4.7 per cent q-o-q from Rs 33.14 crore (29.4 per cent of TIO).
Finance Costs in the current year increased 26.8 per cent y-o-y to Rs 6.63 crore (5.4 per cent of TIO) from Rs 5.23 crore (4.1 per cent of TIO) and increasd 56 per cent q-o-q from Rs 4.25 crore (3.8 per cent of TIO).
Note: The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:
(a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.
(b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.
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.
