News Broadcasting
Sun TV Network reports strong growth in Q4 and FY 2024 earnings
Mumbai: Sun TV Network Ltd, one of the largest television broadcasters in India, operates satellite television channels across seven languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bangla, Marathi and Hindi, airs FM radio stations across India and owns the SunRisers Hyderabad Cricket Franchise of the Indian Premier League, SunRisers Eastern Cape of Cricket South Africa’s T20 League and the digital OTT platform Sun NXT.
For the quarter ended 31 March 2024, the total income was up 18.22 per cent at Rs.1,057.24 crs for the quarter ended 31 March 2024 as against Rs 894.33 crs for the corresponding quarter ended 31st March 2023 and the revenues were up 13.96 per cent at Rs. 927.12 crores as against Rs. 813.53 crores for the quarter ended 31st March 2023. The Profit Before Tax went up by 8.66 per cent at Rs.534.31 crs for the current quarter as against Rs.491.72 crs during the previous quarter ended 31st March 2023 and the Profit after Taxes for the quarter ended 31st March 2024 was up by 9.01 per cent to Rs.398.77 crores as against Rs 365.82 crores for the corresponding quarter ended 31st March 2023. The Earnings Per Share for the current quarter was higher by 9.01 per cent to Rs.10.11 as against Rs.9.28 for the corresponding quarter ended 31st March 2023.
For the quarter ended 31 March 2024, the standalone revenues for the year was higher by 13.30 per cent at Rs.4,148.36 crores as against Rs.3,661.37 crores for the corresponding year ended 31st March, 2023. The Domestic Subscription revenues for the year was at Rs.1,710.44 crores, as against Rs.1,619.71 crores for the previous year ended 31st March, 2023. EBITDA for the year ended 31st March 2024 was up 10.05 per cent at Rs.2,585.30 crores as against Rs.2,349.29 crores for the previous year ended 31st March 2023. The Profit after taxes rose by 11.98 per cent to Rs.1,875.15 crores for the year ended 31st March, 2024 as against Rs. 1,674.53 crores for the previous year ended 31st March, 2023. During the year, the Board of Directors declared four interim dividends cumulating to 335 per cent, i.e. Rs.16.75 per share.
For the quarter ended 31 March 2024, the Consolidated Revenues was up 13.52 per cent at Rs.4,282.10 crores as against Rs. 3,772.05 crores for the corresponding year ended 31st March 2023. EBITDA for the year ended 31st March 2024 was higher by 10.24 per cent at Rs. 2,638.10 crores as against Rs.2,392.99 crores for the previous year ended 31st March 2023. The Profit after taxes (after accounting of share from joint venture) also remained higher by 12.82 per cent at Rs.1,925.80 crores for the year ended 31st March,2024 as against Rs. 1,706.92 crores for the previous year ended 31 March, 2023.
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.
