News Broadcasting
NewsX beefs up top rung
MUMBAI: NewsX, the Indi Media-owned English news channel, has made key appointments at the top rung as part of its revamp plan.
While the channel has roped in former Triveni Media CEO Rahul Kulshreshtha as consultant for technical operations, it has also brought on board Shamya DasGupta as sports editor.
During Kulshreshtha’s tenure at Triveni Media, the company had launched the Hindi news channel Voice of India. He has also worked with TV Today as director technology and operations.
DasGupta, meanwhile, moves in from Headlines Today, where he was working in the same capacity. Prior to Headlines Today, DasGupta has worked with the Indian Express, Tehelka, and ESPN.
Additionally, Nitin Sukhija, who was earlier with IBN7, has been appointed as entertainment and lifestyle editor in Mumbai and Monica Malik has joined as executive producer. As part of her new mandate, she will be responsible for news production and packaging of the channel. Prior to this, she was at NDTV as senior news producer.
Also, Sukarno Sen has joined as Kolkata bureau chief. Prior to NewsX, he has worked with CNN-IBN, IBN7 and Zee News.
Said a channel spokesperson, “This is an important milestone for NewsX and part of our strategy of incrementally but continuously strengthening our leadership team. At NewsX, it’s our endeavour to deliver news and programmes that are informative, engaging and timely. The recent hiring will give a strong leadership to the team which has been delivering fresh content and programming.”
Recently, NewsX got VK Shashikumar on board as head of special investigations and news programming, Nandita Kumar as GM strategy and planning, and Sanjay Singh as resident editor Mumbai.
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.
