News Broadcasting
Soft power and brightest stars shine at TV9 What India Thinks Today (WITT) inaugural
Mumbai: The Inaugural of the TV9 What India Thinks Today (WITT) Global Summit 2024 kicked off on the 25 February, with a captivating exploration of India’s soft power and a celebration of its brightest stars in cinema and sports. Held under the overarching theme, “India: Poised for the Next Big Leap,” the inaugural day set a dynamic tone for the following days of insightful discussions and collaborative initiatives.
The day commenced with a rousing welcome address by TV9 Network MD and CEO Barun Das, who said, “We are here to celebrate the curtain-raiser with a subject very close to my heart, many well-known faces from the world of sports and entertainment are here today for a purpose – to discuss a bold vision for India. Not as an economic or military power. But as a soft power”.
Following shortly after was a fireside chat, with both the MD Barun Das and the Union Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur. Speaking about the strides India is making in the arena of sports, he said, “Today, in sports other than cricket, we have a lot of stars to look up to. The government has increased (its) sports budget by about three times”.
Also expressing his pride in the way the Indian entertainment industry is evolving, he said, “In the next ten years, India will be the content hub of the world. It will be the ‘content continent’ of the world”.
The Inaugural day of the summit also featured the TV9 Nakshatra Samman Awards, celebrating contributions by the very finest stars in sport and entertainment. Record-holding athlete Harmilan Bains, para cricket champion Amir Hussain Lone, professional shooter Sift Kaur Samra, and badminton champion Anmol Kharb rounded out the list of sporting stars to be honoured, while superstars Allu Arjun, Raveena Tandon, Grammy award winners Rakesh Chaurasia and V. Selvaganesh were awarded for their artistic genius in a dazzling display.
The panel discussion on ‘Sports Burnishing: An Opportunity for New India’ witnessed participation from sports industry stalwarts and sports stars themselves, including badminton legend Pullela Gopichand, Collage Sports Management CEO Latika Khaneja, Bundesliga CCO Peer Naubert, Former FK Austria Vienna CEO Markus Kraetschmer, and Tata Motors CVBU CMO Shubhranshu Singh.
Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, joined the Inaugural Day of the What India Thinks Today Global Summit for a keynote interview on ‘Brand India: Leveraging Soft Power’, where he seconded the administration’s faith in soft power, saying, “The PM believes that the cultural strength, the civilizational impact, the tourism products which India has, no other country in the world has. He believes that this can be the biggest driver of India’s growth, it can be the biggest employment creator”.
Firing up the glamour quotient at The Inaugural was none other than Raveena Tandon, who talked, in a fireside chat on the subject of ‘Female Protagonist: The New Hero’, about the problems of a patriarchal society, saying, “When the time came for women to be great at their work, to be masters of their craft, they were told to retire. This is something that I never understand.”
The panel discussion on the same theme saw participation from prominent women leaders from different fields, including National Commission for Women Member Khushbu Sundar, Stiftung Jugendaustausch Bayern MD Mirjam Eisele, football evangelist Julia Farr, and GAIL Director HR Ayush Gupta.
Casting a spotlight on the burgeoning content scene in India, a panel discussion on ‘Boundless Bharat: Beyond Bollywood’ capped off the evening’s events, with several notable faces lending their views to the subject, including actor-director Shekhar Kapur, Grammy award winners Ricky Kej, Rakesh Chaurasia, V Selvaganesh, and Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO Christopher Ripley.
The TV9 What India Thinks Today Global Summit 2024 continues on 26 February with the much-anticipated Global Summit, where distinguished guests from around the world will converge to discuss pressing geopolitical and geo-economic issues, and where Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will deliver the Summit Keynote address.
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.
