News Broadcasting
Triveni Group to launch two news channels by year-end
MUMBAI: Triveni Media Limited, part of the Rs 30 billion Triveni Group, is all set to launch two news channels in October-November. The company is also planning to come up simultaneously with a lifestyle channel.
Triveni will make its appearance in the broadcasting space with a national Hindi news channel. It will also have a channel aimed at the UP-Uttranchal region.
“We are coming up with a bouquet of four channels in October-November. This includes three launches and a religious channel which we acquired. We have obtained all the government clearances,” says Triveni Infrastructure Development Company managing director Madhur Mittal.
The company is going to re-launch Sadhna, a religious channel.
With an investment of Rs 2 billion, the company plans to set up 18 channels in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharasthra, Punjab and West Bengal within two years.
“The debt component of the investment of Rs 2 billion will be 30 per cent. We are not looking at diluting equity now,” says Mittal.
The channels will be uplinked from Noida, near Delhi. “The inflow of data from the different news bureaus will be collected at a single centre and disseminated into the various regional languages. By using this approach, we will keep our costs low,” says Mittal.
Triveni Media has roped in Aaj Tak technical director Rahul Kulshetra to head the operations. Ram Kripal, also from Aaj Tak, is appointed as the group editor.
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.
