News Broadcasting
TV Today telecasts 16 per cent net profit rise in FY 2013
MUMBAI: Its FM radio broadcasting business is on the turnaround trail. And that – apart from its mainstay its news TV channels Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Dilli Aaj Tak and Tezz- has helped Living Media India Ltd’s (The India Today group’s) television & FM radio broadcasting arm, TV Today Network, post a pleasing 16 per cent rise in its net profit in the year ended 31 March 2013. However, its Q4 2013 net profit has fallen 13.3 per cent against the corresponding previous year’s Q4-2012.
TV Today Network has been one of the more efficiently run news organisations in the Indian news broadcasting sector and has been reporting profits for some time now. Other listed news TV organisations have been bleeding and have just about starting showing profits. Hence, its Q4-2013 results appear to be just an aberration.
Let us look at the standalone Q4-2013 financials as against Q4-2012
Q4-2013 total revenues stand at Rs 84.27 crore, a drop of over 4.7 per cent as against last corresponding Q4-2012’s Rs 88.46 crore. Its TV broadcasting business contributes nearly 97 per cent at Rs 81.63 crore to its revenues while its FM radio broadcasting operations through its channel ‘Oye 104.8’ generated Rs 2.64 crore.
The broadcaster has managed to pare some of its expenses at Rs 77.89 crore in Q4-2013 as against last corresponding Q4-2012’s Rs 78.33 crore. The marginal difference is on account of its production costs being reduced to Rs 10.36 crore (Rs 11.24 crore).
Even though the company has seen a 13 per cent reduction in its net profit for Q4-2013 to Rs 6.36 crore (as against Q4-2012’s Rs 7.33 crore), what is heartening is the narrowing of its losses from its FM radio division in Q4-2013 to Rs 2.74 crore from Rs 4.46 crore in Q4-2012.
Let us take a look at the consolidated financials for the year ending 31 March 2013
As mentioned earlier, efficient management of its FM radio operations has helped TV Today Network in FY-2013. Its net profit for FY-2013 had a handsome increase of 16 per cent to Rs 12.21 crore (Rs 10.52 crore in FY-2012). A large part of this increase can be attributed to the decrease in losses at its FM radio division to Rs 13.24 crore from Rs 18.59 crore in FY-2012.
Total revenue for FY 2013 rose to Rs 312.66 crore as against FY-2012’s Rs 308.43 crore with TV broadcasting revenues contributing Rs 302.69 crore as against Rs 300 crore in FY-2012. Its FM radio division chipped in with Rs 9.98 crore as against Rs 8.09 crore last fiscal.
The company claims that its profits have been squeezed further on account of its payments to BSNL and Prasar Bharti amounting to Rs 80 lakh and monitoring charges for foreign satellite amounting to Rs 76.91 lakh.
From the short term perspective, its current liabilities including trade payables have significantly increased to Rs 128.39 crore in FY-2013 as against Rs 94.16 crore in FY-2012, a worrying 36 per cent rise, especially when its current assets have shot by only 24 per cent during the same period.
TV Today Network has made a strategic investment of Rs 45.52 crore in Mail Today Newspapers which is bringing out a daily newspaper in the north. Though Mail Today is in the initial stages of operations and presently incurring losses, the company holds a confident outlook of its future profitability.
The company has announced a 15 per cent dividend, even as the share closed at Rs 84.85 by the time trading ended on BSE.
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.
