News Broadcasting
Nickelodeon fights competition in kid’s space
MUMBAI: Close on the heels of the announcement of a new head, Nickelodeon now boasts of entering the ratings game as the second longest watched channel amongst kids over the last three weeks (Week 40 to Week 42, daypart 07:00 – 22:00, 4-14 ABC, HSM1L+ markets).
The latest Tam data suggests that specific to this week (ie.Week 42, 15 – 21 October) Nick has squeezed itself into the second spot with timespent/viewer (TS/V) as being 162.05 minutes. However, the timespent/universe (TS/U), tells a different story as Nick slips to the fifth position with 22.2 minutes.
Hungama TV heads the pack, while the Disney Channel has overtaken the two players from the Turner stable, Cartoon Network and Pogo.
What’s interesting, is that for same period (Week 42) Nick has held 0.41 TVRs outrunning the Southern leader Toon Disney (0.30 TVRs) and is not trailing too far behind Pogo which has clocked 0.46 TVRs.
Nick appears to be heading for happier times as it also claims the leadership position among all kids’ channels in the younger kids category as time spent is pegged at 228 minutes (Week 42, daypart 07:00 – 22:00, 4-9 ABC, HSM1L+ markets). This category has seen a growth in GRPs of 83 per cent (From 84 in Week 39 to 154 in Week 42).
Additionally, over the past four weeks (Week 39 to Week 42) the time spent per individual on Nick has risen 74 per cent, while GRPs have risen 62 per cent to 86 (from 53 in Week 39 to 86 in Week 42), the channel claims.
Putting up a firm fight, the key properties that seem to be propelling this growth include Ninja Hattori, The Munnabhai Show and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron.
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.
