News Broadcasting
News X strengthening its editorial team
MUMBAI: Well known anchor on Headlines Today, Rahul Shivshankar, is packing his bags back to his favourite news channel – News X – with a mission in mind. From 2 September, he will be seen as managing editor with the channel and will be hosting the primetime show. Diptosh Majumdar, former National affairs editor with DNA, also joins the team in the same capacity. Majumdar will be reporting to Shivshankar while Shivshankar will report to Karthik Sharma, the owner of the channel.
Shivshankar has years of experience. He was associated with News X as editorial director for a year between February 2011 and 2012 and six years with Times Now before that. He was also one of the members of the core team that launched Headlines in 2003. “I am emotionally involved with News X and my plan is to consolidate and give the channel a new direction and focus, which I have successfully done for Headlines Today as well,” says Shivshankar. He will be filling a vacant position.
Majumdar has been political affairs editor with CNN-IBN and editorial director with News X in 2010 after which he left for DNA and now he’s back with News X. Recently, News X was acquired by India News. Financial constraints at the channel had led to Shivshankar leaving for Headlines but now since it seems stable he is back with it. One of the things Shivshankar plans to do is build the weekend news programming. This is one affinity to a channel!
Three months ago, Priya Sehgal joined them as political editor from India Today magazine.
When the whole industry seems to be laying people off, News X seems to be doing the opposite. More people are expected to join the channel in the coming months.
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.
