News Broadcasting
PM Modi headlines News18 Rising Bharat Summit to fire up Gen Z India
MUMBAI: Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam is about to go from red tape to red carpet as PM Narendra Modi steps in as the chief guest and keynote speaker at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2025, happening on 8-9 April. And no, it’s not your average panel snooze-fest — it’s a political-meets-pop-culture juggernaut that wants to turbocharge India’s youth ahead of Viksit Bharat 2047.
The theme? “Youthful Aspirations: Dream Big, Achieve More, Rise Together”. And with 420 million young minds in the mix, organisers aren’t playing small.
Featuring 100+ speakers and 75 sessions, the summit pulls in a dizzying array of names. Political heavyweights like Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, S. Jaishankar, Piyush Goyal, and Ashwini Vaishnaw will trade notes with startup honchos, global thinkers, memory champs, astronauts, actors, and even violin prodigies.
“Under the spotlight will be India’s youth, as they architect the nation’s journey to 2047…” organisers announced, hinting at the star-studded guestlist.
Among the blockbuster names? Jeffrey D. Sachs, Børge Brende, Avi Dichter, Scott Kelly, and Namal Rajapaksa will bring in the global heat. On the home turf, corporate firepower arrives via Irina Ghose (Microsoft), Jay Kotak (Kotak Mahindra Bank), Ashish Chauhan (NSE) and Sindhu Gangadharan (SAP Labs).
And it’s not just thought leadership. From Vijay Amritraj to Abhinav Bindra, Kajol to Sunny Deol, Raj Shamani to Shveta Salve, the summit promises a gen-z meets gen-x cocktail of brains, beauty and brawn.
But what makes this event tick isn’t just the headliners — it’s the students. Through a unique initiative called ‘Samadhan’, select faculty and students from top institutes tackled India’s messiest problems — from urban congestion and air pollution to education reform and river rejuvenation. PM Modi will unveil these policy blueprints, fuelling conversations with the changemakers of tomorrow.
“What emerged were five ground-breaking proposals… that are visionary, pragmatic, and future-ready,” said organisers.
Hosted by Network18, Rising Bharat is not just a talking shop. It’s India’s big, bold platform for shaping real action and real outcomes — with a few selfies and song sets on the side. Expect performances from Esther Hnamte, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Ambi and L. Subramaniam, and even a mind-bending moment with mentalist Suhani Shah.
This year, Rising Bharat might just do what Parliament often can’t: get India’s brightest minds across age, industry, and ideology in one room — and get them to agree on something.
Tune in, take notes and maybe even take charge.
https://www.news18features.com/risingbharatsummit/
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.
