News Broadcasting
TV 18’s national news ops break even in Q3
MUMBAI: The national news business of TV18 Broadcast has attained break-even status while losses continue to kick in from regional news operations.
TV18‘s general news operations on a combined level, however, posted an operating loss of Rs 16 million for the fiscal third quarter, reversing from a profit of Rs 71 million in the earlier year. The loss in the second quarter of this fiscal was lower at Rs 7 million.
Operating profit from the business news segment has narrowed to Rs 108 million for the three months ended December 2011, from Rs 225 million a year ago.
TV18‘s operating loss from combined news operations was Rs 162 million, reversing from a profit of Rs 296 million in the earlier-year quarter. Revenue grew to Rs 1.67 billion compared to Rs 1.53 billion a year ago.
In the general news segment, revenue rose to Rs 773 million, from Rs 744 million in the third quarter of the previous fiscal. For business news, revenue stood at Rs 876 million, up 11 per cent.
Revenue from infotainment channel History 18, which was launched in the third quarter of this fiscal, stood flat at Rs 22 million. The channel posted a loss of Rs 253 million.
Digital business continued to be in the red with the loss widening almost 51 per cent to Rs 322 million. Revenue rose 10 per cent to Rs 584 million.
Web18 recorded revenues of Rs 263 million, a growth of 21 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year on a proforma basis. Newswire18 delivered revenues of Rs 108 million for the quarter, and HomeShop18 Rs 213 million, a growth of 28 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year.
On a consolidated basis, TV18 Broadcast posted a net loss of Rs 535 million for the fiscal third quarter , mainly due to new channel launches.
The company‘s consolidated net profit in the same quarter of the earlier year stood at Rs 198 million.
Revenue increased to Rs 3.43 billion, up from Rs 2.36 billion a year ago.
TV18‘s consolidated numbers include 100 per cent standalone and AETN18, 50 per cent share of Viacom18 and 50 per cent share of IBN Lokmat.
The company‘s shares closed at Rs 31.30, down 2.03 per cent on the BSE.
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.
