News Broadcasting
Network18 announces elevations and appointments within the group
MUMBAI: The media conglomerate Network18 announced important elevations and appointments within the group. The changes, which come into effect immediately, are also a consequence of the dynamics of integration which is the future of the news.
The group in its press statement said that the organisational changes are a move towards the new way in which the two arms of the news organisation—TV and digital—will work in collaboration.
Smriti Mehra is being elevated as chief operating officer-business news cluster, and will be responsible for the P&L of this cluster. She will also be responsible for the P&L of CNBC digital as well as display and focus revenue for the same.
Sohan Singh will be responsible for the display business of the business news cluster as well as English news and will report to Mehra. Preeti Sahni has been elevated as chief operating officer-Forbes India, with the responsibility of its P&L.
To drive TV-digital integration further, the group has mandated Azim Lalani, chief operating officer – brand solutions & convergence. He will also take additional charge of branded content for CNN-News18.
The group is bolstering its government business team, which has been led by Amit Tripathi. Amit will continue to be responsible for Hindi-regional and national channels.
To give a fillip to digital and vernacular, Abhinay Chauhan has joined the network recently and will be responsible for government revenues for language channels, digital, Forbes and AETN18.
For the non-sales part of the focus business, Siddharth Saini will be responsible for the English news, business news, and Forbes verticals as well as international business.
The group has appointed Sujeet Mishra to give additional thrust to the Hindi and regional languages focus business. Mishra. who has joined from the Zee group, will be responsible for non-sales backend of focus for the Hindi and language verticals, notably News18 India.
The above will report to Avinash Kaul for television news with a direct line to Puneet Singhvi for the digital business of the group.
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.
