News Broadcasting
Times Now, Aaj Tak retain positions even as ratings decline
MUMBAI: The channels in the English News space witnessed a decrease in ratings this week. Times Now with a further decrease in its ratings however continued to dominate the genre.
According to the week 52 ratings data of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, the players in the English Business News space witnessed mixed ratings.
Aaj Tak remained as the number one channel in the Hindi News space, both in rural and urban markets. Players in the Hindi News space witnessed mixed ratings this week.
Channels in the Hindi Business News genre saw mixed ratings this week.
English News
Times Now, with a further decrease in its ratings, continued to dominate the genre with 546 Impressions (000s) as compared to 576 Impressions (000s) in week 51. NDTV 24×7 sustained its second slot with 223 Impressions (000s) while India Today Television took the third position with 171 Impressions. CNN News18 with 171 Impressions (000s) and BBC World News with 61 Impressions (000s) took the fourth and fifth position, respectively.
English Business News
CNBC TV18 continued to lead with a decrease in ratings from 237 Impressions (000s) in week 51 to 227 Impressions (000s) this week. ET Now was at the second spot with 135 Impressions (000s). NDTV Profit and NDTV Prime continued to be at the third position with 44 Impressions (000s). BTVi was on the fourth spot with 20 Impressions (000s). CNBC TV 18 Prime HD sustained at the fifth place with 1 Impressions (000s).
Hindi News
Aaj Tak observed a decline in the ratings but stood at the first spot with 165306 Impressions (000s) as compared to 168964 Impressions (000s) in last week followed by India TV at the second position with 142318 Impressions (000s). ABP News took the third position with 131434 Impressions (000s) followed by Zee News at the fourth position with 108600 Impressions (000s). India News took the fifth position with 81387 Impressions (000s).
Hindi News Rural
Aaj Tak with a decrease in the ratings dominated the rural market with 75849 Impressions (000s). India TV was at the second slot with 67718 Impressions (000s) followed by ABP News at the third place with 60435 Impressions (000s). Zee News took the fourth place with 44674 Impressions (000s) followed by India News with 43765 Impressions (000s) at the fifth position.
Hindi News Urban
Aaj Tak stood at the number one position with 89457 Impressions (000s) followed by India TV at the second position with 89457 Impressions (000s). ABP News took the third position with 70999 Impressions (000s) followed by Zee News at the fourth position with 63926 Impressions (000s). India News took the fifth position with 42479 Impressions (000s).
Hindi Business News
CNBC Awaaz witnessed a decrease in ratings though it continued at the number one position with 1146 Impressions (000s) as compared to 1223 Impressions (000s) in week 51. The second spot was taken by Zee Business with 1089 Impressions (000s).
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.
