News Broadcasting
Raj TV plans business news channels in southern languages
MUMBAI: The regional news channel space is set for segmentation. Hoping to enter a genre untapped by broadcasters in the southern region, Raj Television Network (RTN) is planning to launch business news channels in the four languages of Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam.
“The board has given a nod and we are in the process of applying for licenses. We want to launch business news channels in the southern languages,” says Raj Television Network director M Raveendran.
The first of the sibling channels to come out would be in the Tamil language. RTN, which raised Rs 917.4 million through an initial public offering (IPO) early this year, already operates Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus.
Kalanithi Maran’s Sun TV Ltd, which is the dominant player in the southern region, has a string of news channels but none in the pure business segment. The view taken so far by broadcasters is that the market has not matured for a niche segment news channel in the southern languages.
Raj TV is also planning to step outside the southern region. The company is evaluating the feasibility of youth and current affairs channels in Marathi and Gujarati languages.
Outside the news space, Raj TV plans to launch a kids channel in Tamil. “The board has approved the proposal for launching 12 channels. This includes a toons channel to cater to the kids,” says Raveendran.
Rival Sun TV is launching a kids channel with an investment outlay of Rs 400 million this year. Sports and documentary channels are also slated for launch this fiscal.
Raj TV is planning to launch a youth-centric multi-lingual channel aimed at the 14-40 age group, for which it has earmarked Rs 107 million from its IPO proceeds. “We are launching this channel in June,” says Raveendran.
Regional broadcasters are expanding their presence and making forays into new geographies. Such growth stories are pulling valuations up as private equity funds are sensing worth in regional media companies. The Blackstone group, a global private investment firm, has plunked down $275 million for a 26 per cent stake in Ushodaya Enterprises Ltd (UEL), which owns the Eenadu newspaper and ETV group of regional channels. Hyderabad-based TV9 is planning to launch news channels for Mumbai, Gujarat and National Capital Region (NCR) territories and is in talks with two funds to raise Rs 2.5 billion.
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.
