News Broadcasting
News18 India & CNN-News18 continue dominance on viewership charts
Mumbai: Once again, Network18 won double gold as both its Hindi and English news channels decisively defeated rivals to maintain their top positions in the most recent audience ratings table.
CNN-News18 defeated Republic TV, Times Now, Mirror Now, and India Today Television in the English general news segment while News18 India defeated Aaj Tak, India TV, TV9 Bharatvarsh, and Republic Bharat in the Hindi general news segment.
According to data issued by the Broadcast Audience Research Council, News18 India held a 15.9 per cent relative market share during the first week of the New Year and a 15.8 per cent share during the following week ( Barc). (Market share per cent, 24 hours, HSM, TG: 15+, Wk 50’22-Wk 02’23, All days).
According to data, News18 India now holds 20 per cent higher market share than Aaj Tak, which is now in second place but only managed to gain 13.2 per cent relative market share in the past two weeks.
In the English general news section, CNN-News18 increased its relative market share by 1.8 per cent, maintaining first place with 33.0 per cent in the first week and 34.7 per cent in the second week, easily defeating Republic TV, which lagged behind with 29.9 per cent and 27.8 per cent. Market share percentage, 24 hours, TG: 15+ AB, India, Wk 50’22-Wk 02’23, All days.
In terms of market share, CNN-News18 has already surpassed Times Now, which is currently third, by a staggering 80 per cent.
Additionally, News18 India continued to outperform Aaj Tak in the Prime Time (6pm to 12 am) and 9pm timeslots, capturing 26 per cent and 14 per cent greater market share, respectively.
While Times Now lost market share to CNN-News18 by 61 per cent in the Prime Time Core TG (6pm to 11 pm ) time period, CNN-News18 was far ahead.
Since Barc started collecting viewership statistics again in March 2020, News18 India and CNN-News18 have both been market leaders. Regional news networks owned by Network18 Group are still the best in their fields.
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.
