News Broadcasting
RBNL ex-CBO Khanchandani joins Arnab’s Republic
MUMBAI: : Vikas Khanchandani former RBNL chief business officer has joined Republic as the chief executive officer. With over two decades of working across ad sales, digital, television and media technology, Khanchandani will play an integral role to grow Republic as an independent media tech company.
Arnab Goswami has been recruiting for catalysts for his team who would make his new venture a comprehensive set up for the new media landscape. Republic will be an independent platform for journalists and content professionals. The venture aspires to create a movement that will put the power of journalism into the hands of the citizens, and will be India’s first footprint into global journalism.
Commenting on the same, Republic founder Arnab Goswami said, “We are delighted to welcome Vikas on board. He is a great leader and joins us with very strong industry experience across multimedia platforms. Together, we believe, we will create the No. 1 News Channel in India.’’
Khandchandani added, “I am looking forward to working with Republic as I believe in the core objective and vision of launching the first global independent media venture. I am certain we will change the media scenario in India”
Khanchandani is a senior media industry professional with nearly two decades of experience. After an initial stint of running his family business in Medium Enterprise Financing and Estate Management, he joined STAR TV as a key member of the Strategic Planning and Management team which worked on sales strategies for the entire bouquet of channels across multiple genres. After STAR TV, Khanchandani was part of the core leadership team which set up NDTV Media. As Senior Vice President – Advertising Sales in charge of the English and Hindi news channels of NDTV, he played an important role in helping the NDTV network optimally monetize its revenue potential. Apart from co-founding Aidem Ventures, he played the dual role of managing existing businesses of Aidem with his operational skills. For the next 5 years, he drove the various businesses with undying enthusiasm, raw energy and a keen sense of fair play and vision, expanding into Digital advertising in a major way.
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.
