News Broadcasting
News channels encash ‘taali bajao, thaali bajao’ initiative to gain more traction
MUMBAI: News channels across genre certainly tried to chance upon the opportunity to engage viewers during the ‘taali bajao, thaali bajao’ event. An initiative called by prime minister Narendra Modi as a tribute to the heroes, who are the vanguard of fighting against coronavirus.
On 19 March, PM Modi urged citizens to voluntarily participate in the ‘Janta curfew’ from 7 am to 9 pm on 22 March to stop the spread of novel coronavirus. He also urged people to send a tribute to the doctors, nurses, and police, among others, on the same day at 5 pm by either clapping, banging utensils or ringing a bell from the balcony or at the doorstep.
In this regard, news channels across genres, apart from broadcasting the people’s participation in the ‘taali bajao, thaali bajao’ initiative from various corners of India, also tried to engage with them proactively on social media as well as on live news channels of the network.
TV Today Network’s news channels, both English and Hindi, urged viewers to make a video while participating in the ‘taali bajao, thaali bajao’ initiative with a hashtag #5baje5minute and send to the network which will be shown on their channels.
According to India Today, the group had asked citizens to send videos of what they did to express gratitude for thousands of those fighting against Coronavirus across the country. Selected videos were broadcast on both India Today and AajTak.
“The campaign — #5baje5minute – become a massive hit as the network received one lakh videos on the WhatsApp numbers shared while announcing the campaign. Meanwhile, the hashtag has also witnessed over 1.87 lakh tweets with a reach to at least 26 million people,” said a channel spokesperson.
Times Network’s president – strategy and business head – English entertainment cluster, Vivek Srivastava says: “The network also ably supported PM’s fervent appeal for a ‘Janta Curfew’ call on 22 March, 2020 by running a pledge campaign on news brands to mobilise awareness and participation from the viewers by sending in their video messages supporting the initiative.”
“India TV has also run two successful social media campaigns so far, the first one was to ask people to support ‘Janta Curfew’, a call by PM Narendra Modi and the second one was to answer common queries of the people getting anxious due to a huge influx of information, attempting to debunk the myths surrounding the issue”, says India TV marketing manager Aruna Jamwal.
Meanwhile, all other network channels such as ABP News Network, New Delhi Television, Zee News, Republic Media Network and Network18, among others, opted for traditional methods to grab eyeballs during the ‘taali bajao, thaali bajao’ initiative. The difference all these channels had were the visuals of people participating in the initiative shown on the TV screen.
At least half a dozen reporters of respective news channels were stationed at various prominent locations to speak to the people supporting PM Modi’s call. The channels also showed the visuals of politicians, ministers and Bollywood actors participating in an initiative called by PM Modi.
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.
