News Broadcasting
Times expected to launch two TV channels in ‘phase 1’
MUMBAI: The country’s most influential press publication, The Times of India Group, looks to have more or less finalised the channels with which it will make its entry into the television business.
Present indications are that the Times will be launching two channels either in tandem or spaced apart by just a few months. Lifestyle and entertainment channel Zoom and a “secular” spiritual channel are what will be coming off the Times Television’s blocks in the initial phase, it has been confirmed to indiantelevision.com.
Lifestyle, events, music, fashion and of course the film world, will all form part of the content that goes into Zoom.
Times is tentatively targeting August / September for the launch of the channel(s), as per presently available information.
Queried as to what was the thinking behind the selection of the title Zoom for the lifestyle channel, Times Group managing director Vineet Jain told indiantelevision.com that the word association was with photography. Zooming in on the lifestyle and entertainment world is what the channel aims to do. The name selection is Jain’s. It was Jain who chose the title Mirchi for the group’s radio FM venture as well.
As for the name of the spiritual channel, according to information available with indiantelevision.com, though there are some names being debated, nothing has been finalised as yet.
To a question from indiantelevision.com about the buzz in the industry that the spiritual channel would primarily be focussed on the “Art of Living Foundation” and its “guru” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Jain categorically ruled it out. Jain, terming the spiritual channel a “secular” one, said all faiths would be represented on it.
Jain was speaking to indiantelevision.com on Thursday on the sidelines of a media briefing announcing the signing of a formal agreement by the Times Group and BBC Magazines (a division of BBC Worldwide) to set up a 50:50 joint venture company to publish magazines in India.
Meanwhile, there are two more channels on the drawing board which have, however, been put on the backburner for the present – a business news channel and a music channel. Industry sources say it will take at least another year for the business channel to launch. When queried about it, Jain would not be drawn into a comment on what time lines, if any, had been set for the two channels’ launches. He did say, however, that no firm decision had been made as to which might launch earlier – the business channel or the music channel.
The obvious advantage that the music channel offers is that it would cost far less to get up and running. As far as content is concerned, there are the Times Music titles that can be promoted. Of course, it is also a fact that Times Music, which is heavily into devotional music, could as well or possibly even better be leveraged on the spiritual channel.
If and when the business channel launches, the clear synergy that one expects would be leveraged is The Economic Times brand for both content and marketing.
News Broadcasting
Network18 posts Rs 1,955 crore revenue, narrows FY26 losses
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.
