News Broadcasting
News channels spend highest time on crime stories
MUMBAI:Crime, law and order stories rule the roost on news channels. At least for the period 14 September to 24 October 2008 when news channels dedicated 29 per cent of their coverage time on such kind of content, according to News Content Track (NCT), a monitoring service recently launched by Tam.
The study conducted by Tam covers Hindi channels Aaj Tak and Star News and English channels Times Now and NDTV 24X7.
During the period, news channels have spent 513.22 hours of programming on crime, law and order stories. Next in the rung is sports coverage which occupies 13.48 per cent (234.09 hours).
Top content type
CONTENT TYPE Duration in Hour:Min:Secs % contribution
CRIME/LAW & ORDER
513:22:25
29.54
SPORTS NEWS
234:09:29
13.48
POLITICAL NEWS/GOVERNMENT NEWS
217:51:04
12.54
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
199:30:19
11.48
FINANCIAL NEWS
121:29:59
6.99
BUSINESS NEWS
66:46:40
3.84
SOCIAL
58:49:14
3.39
SPIRITUAL/RELIGION
57:27:32
3.31
ASTROLOGY
57:05:23
3.29
MISHAPS/FAILURE OF MACHINERY
44:38:12
2.57
source : News Content Track, Tam
period : 14 Sept- 24 Oct
News on politics is still not the favourite with news channels. Political news covers only 12.54 per cent (217.51 hours), followed by entertainment news which is 11.48 per cent (199.30 hours) of the entire programming.
News channels spent 6.99 per cent on financial news and 3.84 per cent on business news. Humour covers 2.17 per cent of the time while news on sting and scandals contributes 0.02 per cent. News channels spend the minimum time on spoofs (0.01 per cent, 0.08 minutes).
Top stories
Story
Total %
DELHI BOMB BLASTS
115:13:26
6.63
BORDER GAVASKAR SERIES 08
74:03:48
4.26
BOLLYWOOD UPDATES
57:21:48
3.30
ZODIAC FORECAST
57:05:13
3.29
SHOOT OUT IN DELHI
51:34:40
2.97
AUSTRALIA TOUR OF INDIA(2008)
49:41:01
2.86
INDIAN MARKET UPDATES
40:39:20
2.34
COMEDY PROGRAM
37:24:24
2.15
MNS WORKERS BEAT UP OUTSTATION CANDIDATES (MUMBAI)
36:26:22
2.10
REPORT ON BLASTS IN INDIA
34:41:58
2.00
source : News Content Track, Tam
period : 14 Sept- 24 Oct
The Delhi bomb blast became the top story (6.63 per cent) that was shown repeatedly by the news channels during this period, followed by the India-Australia cricket series (4.26 per cent). In the top story ranking, Bollywood updates covered 3.30 per cent while zodiac forecast was 3.29 per cent.
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.
