News Broadcasting
Raj TV completes 10 years; expansion plans on the anvil
MUMBAI: Tamil general entertainment channel Raj TV has completed 10 years. The channel is planning to expand its event management division to an independent entity – an event management company.
Also, the channel is planning to enter the US and Malaysia by the end of 2004.
Raj TV CEO Rajeev Nambiar told Indiantelevision.com that the proposed event management company would cater to Tamil broadcasters based abroad and in India the events would be solely telecast by Raj TV. Nambiar said the channel would be using its existing manpower for the proposed company and wouldn’t mind outsourcing also if required.
Raj TV will conduct 12 ground events in 2005. Nambiar said the total budget earmarked for this year-long activity was approximately Rs. 30 million. According to Nambiar, even other event management companies will be considered for handling these events.
Speaking on the international plans, Nambiar said Raj TV would be available on both cable and DTH in the US. The channel is presently available in the Europe, Middle East and Canada.
To mark its 10th anniversary, Raj TV has kicked off a weekly breakfast show from 14 October. The one-hour show Dhinam Dhinam will air Monday – Friday at 8 am.
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.
