News Broadcasting
STV to launch three regional news channels
NEW DELHI: STV Enterprises Ltd will launch three regional news channels, group chairperson J K Jain told Indiantelevision.com. The company, which already runs Punjab Today, will formally announce the launch on 30 August.
The channels – Goa News, Haryana News and UP News – are on test signals. While in Goa and Haryana, the channels have achieved almost total connectivity, in UP there are distribution issues which are yet to be sorted out.
The three channels will function independently for their day to day work and operations will be headed by executive director Gokul Kumar in Goa and Dharampal Dhankar will look after Haryana while Pradeep Sharma will look after Punjab Today. The CEO chief editor Sanjay Dwivedi will be in charge of all the three channels.
“Regional channels are the most happening thing today and I believe that advertisers will flock to them because of higher penetration into all areas of the state. Hence we are avoiding going national at the moment,” Jain said.
When asked how a small state like Goa would manage to run a 24×7 news channel, he said, “Local content is exploding and there are so many things that are specifically Goan, like football, local culture. Hence programming is not an issue that is of worry.”
Meanwhile, STV has already applied to run on DD Direct Plus, Prasar Bharati’s DTH service platform. “When that happens we shall be seen everywhere in the country and outside,” Jain said, adding that he is in discussion with the private DTH players Dish TV and Tata Sky.
Punjab Today, the news channel that had faced political repression, is recovering gradually, Jain said, adding that it has been forced out of the local cable operators only in some places of the state. “They did so initially, but gradually many LCOs have returned because it is a hugely popular channel in the state,” he said.
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.
