News Broadcasting
News Nation Network strengthens its sales team
Mumbai: News Nation Network ropes in Vivek Makker as executive vice president & national head of sales for the network. Harsha Vardhan Dwivedi as vice president of sales to take care of its regional business.
In their capacity, they will be responsible for the performance of all revenue-generating avenues, drive growth through strategic decisions, partner with key stakeholders and steer revenue acceleration through their leadership.
Prior to this, Vivek Makker was the National head for NDTV India. Vivek is a well-known media professional with over two decades of experience and a unique relationship-driven personal approach with Clients, Advertising agencies and his Teams. He has also worked with HT media, Star TV, and Times OOH.
In his role, Vivek added “Feeling excited and happy to be part of News Nation, one of the fastest expanding Media groups that have futuristic approach and deep-rooted traditional values”
Speaking of joining the team, Harsha said, “It gives me great pleasure to join the enthusiastic and aggressive team of News Nation Network. The brand is already well established, and I look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to achieve long-term goals”.
With over 20 years of work experience, Harsha in his previous roles has worked for various organisations like Sahara TV Network, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Zee Media Corp Ltd., Mahuaa Media Network, ETV News Network & Network 18 before joining News Nation Network. He has been a part of launches like Zee Bihar Jharkhand and relaunches like Zee Sangam, India 24*7, etc.
News Nation Network chief business officer Bhuwan Bhatt said “Inclusion of Vivek and Harsha, will further strengthen the team. We are immensely hopeful that Vivek & Harsha would bring huge value to the organization with their leadership and interpersonal skills. We look forward to driving growth of all the brands with each passing day in their respective roles.”
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.
