News Broadcasting
News channels report second-best viewership pattern so far this year in week 11
MUMBAI: The coronavirus pandemic could be termed as a bane for the whole world, including India, but it certainly has become a boon for the news channels across genre in terms of viewership, a week eleven (14-20 March) data of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India shows.
This is the second-best week for the news channels in terms of viewership as the first still remains week seven so far in 2020. The Hindi news channels in week 11 advanced by around 29 per cent, whereas English by over 26 per cent making it, possibly, the most-watched genre in the current week.
Dominating the chart for the straight eleventh week, TV Today Network’s Hindi news channel Aaj Tak has substantially grown by over 40 per cent to 216,024 weekly impressions in the current week as against 153,379 impressions in the previous week. These are the best numbers, so far this year, the channel has gained in the current week, the last best was 163,089 impressions in week eight.
Aaj Tak has increased its viewership 1.5 times than its peers in the current week of BARC. Not just that, the channel has also topped the list of Hindi news channels during prime minister Narendra Modi’s first address to the nation on 19 March. It achieved over 40,000 viewership followed by Zee News at the second position gaining at least 25,421 impressions.
Retaining its second position in the top five channels list, Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ Hindi news channel Zee News has gained over 24 per cent to 142,089 impressions in week eleven as compared to 114,390 impressions in the last week.
Moving one position up from fourth to third spot, India TV has garnered around 26 per cent to 137,578 impressions in the current week as compared to 109,636 impressions in the last week. Whereas Network18’s Hindi news channel News18 India has fallen to the fourth position; however, it has grown by over by 16 per cent to 130391 impressions this week versus 112125 in week eleven.
ABP News Network Hindi news channel ABP News has been featured in the top five news channels list almost after four weeks in week eleven. Dethroning Republic Bharat altogether from the chart, ABP News being on the fifth position has gained 130,035 weekly impressions in the current week.
Meanwhile, Republic Media Network’s English news channel Republic TV, maintaining its top spot in the top five channels’ list, has grown by over 26 per cent to 852 weekly impressions in week eleven as against 692 impressions in the previous week of BARC. These are the third-best numbers, in terms of viewership, Republic TV has achieved so far this year.
Retaining its second and third position in the top five channels’ list, Times News Network’s Times Now and TV Today Network’s India Today English news channels gained over 28 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively, in week eleven. The former gained 644 impressions this week versus 501 in the last week, whereas the latter increased by 418 impressions as against 362 in the previous week.
The English news channel of Network18 – CNN-News18 – has moved to the second last position from last in the top five news channels’ list. The channel has grown by over 64 per cent to 381 weekly impressions in the current week as compared to 232 impressions in the earlier week of BARC.
Almost after two weeks, New Delhi Television’s English news channel NDTV 24×7 has garnered at least 273 weekly impressions in week eleven. The channel has dethroned the government-owned English news channels DD India from the top five news channels’ list altogether.
The news channels across genres have continued its eyeballs gaining spree for the second straight week, according to the BARC. Viewers are consuming more news and updating themselves on the back of the novel virus spread. The positive cases in India have jumped to over 700 and at least 16 people so far have succumbed to the infection.
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.
