News Broadcasting
Network18 reports strong Q1 growth of Rs 3141 crores
Mumbai: Network18 Media and Investments Ltd reported consolidated operational revenue of Rs 3,141 crore for the quarter ending 30 June, fueled by impressive performances in the sports and news segments. The company’s digital portfolio also expanded in both reach and engagement.
Network18 stated that its subsidiary Viacom18 has continued to invest in the sports and news sectors to drive future growth. The company noted that even though these segments are still in the development phase, they have rapidly achieved a strong brand presence and consumer recognition.
TV News portfolio delivered 30 per cent advertising growth during the quarter. The network leveraged its leadership positions across key markets and election-linked advertising tailwinds to deliver industry-leading ad growth. EBITDA for the quarter saw a turnaround as revenue grew 14 per cent while costs were flat. The TV news network posted EBITDA of Rs 40 crore in Q1FY25, a 46 per cent increase (YoY).
JioCinema achieved record digital IPL viewership during the quarter. IPL 2024 reached 620 million viewers, marking a 38 percent increase from the previous year. “Engagement also saw a significant rise, with audiences spending a total of more than 350 billion minutes watching the most popular annual sports event, over 50 percent higher than last season,” the company reported.
Meanwhile, Network18 group’s digital brands solidified their leadership positions over the quarter, experiencing a substantial rise in monthly unique visitors. “With approximately 250 million unique visitors, Network18 narrowed the reach gap with the leader to about 10 percent, down from over 50 percent in March 2023,” the statement revealed.
Network18’s digital news business recorded a 34 per cent growth in Q1FY25, with total revenue reaching Rs 109 crore compared to Rs 81 crore in the same quarter of FY24.
The digital news portfolio of Network18 experienced a significant increase in monthly unique visitors. With 250 million unique visitors, Network18 narrowed the reach gap with the leader to just 10 per cent, down from over 50 per cent in March 2023.
Moneycontrol maintained its position as the top player in both reach and engagement metrics, driven by comprehensive coverage of economic and market-related topics. Key engagement metrics such as monthly page views, time spent, and sessions were 20 per cent-70 per cent higher than those of the nearest competitor.
Moneycontrol Pro surpassed 8.1 lakh paid subscribers, solidifying its status as the leading subscription-based news platform in India and one of the top three in Asia, according to FIPP’s Digital Subscription Report.
News18.com established itself as the leading platform for non-English language consumers in India during the last quarter. The platform’s reach expanded significantly due to editorial and product initiatives, resulting in a 50 per cent increase in monthly average unique visitors quarter-on-quarter and a 100% year-on-year growth in on-platform video views. News18’s mobile app saw an increase in MAUs, and the News18 Connected TV app was launched for platforms like Android, Samsung Tizen, and Firestick.
Firstpost’s coverage of international events from an Indian perspective continued to drive reach and engagement throughout the quarter. The platform saw a 67 per cent increase in monthly active users and page views following the launch of its revamped website. On counting day, the website’s traffic doubled compared to normal days, with time spent increasing fourfold. Firstpost’s growth on YouTube also continued, with the subscriber count surpassing the five million mark.
News Broadcasting
News TV viewership jumps 33 per cent as West Asia war draws audiences
BARC Week 8 data shows news share rising to 8 per cent despite T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI:Â Even as individual television news channel ratings remain under a temporary pause, the genre itself is seeing a clear surge in audience attention.
According to the latest data from Broadcast Audience Research Council India, television news recorded a 33 per cent jump in genre share in Week 8 of 2026, covering February 28 to March 6.
The news genre accounted for 8 per cent of total television viewership during the week, up from 6 per cent the previous week. The spike in attention coincided with escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have kept global headlines firmly fixed on West Asia.
The rise is notable because it came at a time when cricket was dominating television screens. The high-stakes stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including the Super 8 fixtures and semi-finals, were being broadcast during the same period.
Despite the cricket frenzy, viewers appeared to be toggling between sport and global affairs, boosting the overall share of news programming.
The surge in genre share comes even as the government has enforced a one-month pause on publishing ratings for individual news channels. The move followed regulatory scrutiny of the television ratings ecosystem.
While channel-level rankings remain temporarily out of sight, the genre-level data suggests that when global tensions escalate, audiences continue to turn to television news for real-time updates.
