News Broadcasting
Publicis’ Levy gets bullish on India
MUMBAI: If the chairman and CEO of a multinational advertising and public relations company comes to India, then canards are definitely going to gain currency.
And that CEO happens to be Publicis Groupe’s Maurice Levy, who signed the deal with the Omnicom Group to create a $35 billion mega-agency, journos would not be faulted for wondering why. To everyone’s dismay, Levy told a select group of the media that his current trip to India falls in the category of a “regular visit”.
“I was here last in 2011 and thought it’s high time I visited again. I have always said that India is a major market for us and we want to build the group here,” said Levy.
Industry has been speculating whether that “building” includes possibly picking up equity in the fiercely independent Sam Balsara run Madison World who has recently stated that his agency is open to collaborations. Levy very intelligently deflected this question by saying that that the group has made investments in the country and will continue to do so as there is a cesspool of talent here.”
Among the agencies Publicis runs in India include: Publicis India, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom, ZenithOptimedia, Razorfish and Digitas.
Levy further elaborated that “according to the World Bank, India will have the largest number of middle class income group members by 2030, surpassing even China. Hence, we have to strategically make moves. India is a very strategic country for us.”
He believes that since the country has a great deal of knowledge in IT and digital, it should take advantage of that skillset rather than just become an ‘outsourcing’ nation.
When asked about the importance of digital media today and in the future, Levy quipped, “Publicis was the first group to invest in the sector. In 2006, we had said how digital is going to be one of the most important pillars of the emerging markets and started investing in it.”
He pointed out that a large share of Publicis’ revenue comes courtesy the digital space and that the firm is heavily invested in it already. “In 2011, there were 100 people working in the digital sector in India and now there are around 1500 people. Globally, there are over 20,000 people devoted to the sector.”
He also highlighted that “emerging markets contributed roughly 25 per cent” to the group’s turnover and his aim is to bring it to “35 per cent by 2017.”
As everyone waits for the Publicis-Ominicom merger to get the official nod from the EU, the US and China, Levy too has big dreams and expectations from it. Without revealing too much on how progress the fusion process has made and who will head the combined entity in India, Levy said that it will only benefit the clients of both the companies.
“The law doesn’t allow me to speak about it unless and until all procedures are done. And till then we will work as competitors but the future will be all about offering a wide range of platforms to the client. For me, it has always been how can I make it more valuable for the client. And it will continue to be so.”
When asked if there have been any ‘disagreements’ with Ominicoms’s president and CEO John Wren, Levy laughingly responded by saying, “Yes of course. He’s American and I’m French.”
He further added, “A French poet has written that boredom comes from uniformity and it will be true for me as well. Over and again, I have always said that collaborations is the way forward though they can be challenging. When we acquired Saatchi & Saatchi, all we had to do was cross the channel but it turned out to be a major challenge because of our differences. Such things are bound to happen but there is no fun if there aren’t such challenges.”
However, the group’s number one competitor WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell has been very vocal about the merger and even gone on to call it the merger of ‘unequals’ and that it won’t last a long time. On it Levy responded that he only comments on what he knows best and that’s his company and work. “From the way he (Sorrell) has been speaking about it, it seems like it has become a part of his job!” he added wittily.
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.
