News Broadcasting
Republic TV continues to lead English News genre in week after debut
BENGALURU / MUMBAI: Republic TV claims to have cornered a viewership of 49 per cent for week 20 of 2017 (Saturday 13 May 2017 to Friday 19 May 2017) on its channel.
According to BARC India’s weekly data, Republic TV has got 1703 impressions (000s) sums. Times Now with 978 impressions and India Today Television lagging far behind with 289 impressions took the second and the third positions, respectively.
Sharing viewership data for other channels, Republic TV states that Times Now had a viewership share of 30 per cent, followed by CNN News 18 and India Today with 7 per cent each. The other major English news channels – NTDV and News X had viewership share of five per cent and 0.6 per cent each, Republic TV claimed. It attributed the ratings to BARC India.
According to BARC India’s weekly report, CNN News18 with 281 impressions and NDTV 24×7 with 241 impressions took the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
According to data provided by Republic TV (for English News channels in BARC India week 20 ’17, Target Group: – NCCS AB M 22+, Time Band: 0600-2400, 13 May to 17 May’17, in India 1Mn+), Republic TV had 48.7% market share, with the highest average time spent per viewer was 09:29 mins.
The viewership of Republic TV was 160% higher than Times Now, 703% higher than CNN News18, 715% than India Today Television & 920% higher than NDTV 24X7. In mega cities, Republic TV had 52.1% viewership, with average time spent per viewers was 11.50 mins, while all other leading channels average time spent was 4.59 mins, according to Republic TV data.
Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani said that the channel snuffed out competition in the second week of its birth reaffirming the Indian viewer’s choice.
In India 1Mn+ (Time Band: 2100- 2300), Republic TV had 61% market share. The average time spent of Republic TV was 7.39 mins, while other leading competitor channels average time spent was 3.10 mins. In mega cities, Republic TV’s market share was 55.2%, with an average time spent per viewer was 07.10 mins more than the double of other competitor channels.
In India 1Mn+ (Time Band: 2200- 2300), Republic TV had 68.7% market share, while Times Now had had only 16.6%, CNN News18 7.1%, NDTV 24X7 4.2% & India Today 2.6%. In mega cities, Republic TV had a market share 63.0%, with an average time spent per viewer was 07.14. Times Now’s market share was only 20.5% & time spent 2.20 mins per viewer.
In India 1Mn+ (Time Band: -2000-2400), Republic TV had 55.8% market share. It’s viewership was 238% more than Times Now, 546% more than NDTV 24X7, 937% more than India Today Television & 1379% more than CNN News 18. In mega cities, Republic TV’s market share was 51.5%, double than Times Now’s 25.2%, according to Republic TV data.
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.
