News Broadcasting
News18 India takes a jab at Aaj Tak with bold print campaign in The Economic Times
MUMBAI: Three years is a long time to lie low, and News18 India isn’t letting its rival forget it. In a front-page ad that screams swagger, the channel took a not-so-subtle dig at competitor Aaj Tak with the line: “3 saal se gire, Aaj Tak nahi uthe”. Plastered across The Economic Times on
10 June, the ad fired off a victory lap, underpinned by a bouquet of audience metrics.
According to BARC (Wk 22’22–21’25, 24 hours, all days, HSM), News18 India clocked 7.88 crore average weekly AMA, decisively ahead of Aaj Tak’s 7.35 crore. The jab wasn’t just terrestrial. On YouTube, the network reported a massive 3.4 billion views, more than triple Aaj Tak’s 1.04 billion, as per May 2025 Playboard data.
For three straight years, News18 India has claimed the top position in the Hindi news genre, especially during national events where real-time analysis and critical reportage often define trust.
Its editorial firepower comes from a frontline of anchors including Kishore Ajwani, Amish Devgan, Rubika Liyaquat, Prateek Trivedi, and Aman Chopra. Backed by a nationwide web of reporters, the channel has kept its programming punchy, polarising when needed, but persistently on point.
News18 India’s latest campaign doesn’t merely flaunt numbers—it sharpens them into weapons. As the digital and broadcast battlegrounds heat up, this move signals that News18 doesn’t just want to lead the race. It wants to win it with style.
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.
