News Broadcasting
Reliance Capital ups stake in TV Today
MUMBAI: Anil Ambani’s Reliance Capital has progressively upped its stake in TV Today Network to 14.02 per cent, but is still outside the 15 per cent deadline to trigger an open offer for a fresh 20 per cent acquisition.
Memories of an open offer go back to June 2007 when Reliance Capital took the aggressive step without being forced into it by takeover regulation. Having taken its stake then to 11.93, Reliance fixed the open offer price at Rs 130.50 per share that did not evoke any interest from shareholders to sell their shares.
Reliance Capital’s renewed interest in TV Today, which runs a clutch of news channels including the Hindi market leader Aaj Tak, reflected in the market on 7 December when it mopped up 0.11 per cent stake, or 67,000 shares, to take its total holding to 14.02 per cent, or 8.1 million shares.
A TV Today official declined to comment.
A spurt in buying by Reliance Capital has prompted a sharp rise in the scrip price of TV Today that was hovering around Rs 100 in November. The scrip touched a high of Rs 151.80 on 4 December.
After 7 December, the shares of TV Today have started steadily falling from its high price. The scrip ended Wednesday at Rs 122 on the BSE, up 1.5 per cent from the previous day’s close.
The promoter holding in TV Today is 55.92 per cent, according to data provided by the company till 30 September 2009.
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.
