News Broadcasting
TV18 gets FIPB nod, to invest Rs 600 million in 3 regional biz channels
MUMBAI: Raghav Bahl-promoted TV18 is launching three regional business news channels – CNBC TV18 South, CNBC TV18 Gujarati and CNBC TV18 Channel 3.
TV18 plans to invest Rs 600 million towards these three channels, a senior executive in the company said. TV18 South will be a business channel in the southern languages while the regional language of Channel 3 is not yet firmed up.
TV18 has received Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance, but has yet to decide whether to defer the launch because of the economic downturn, the executive added.
Vijay Television, part of the Star Group, has received FIPB permission to make downstream investment in a company engaged in uplinking a non news current affairs TV channel. Star recently announced a joint venture deal with Jupiter Entertainment Ventures to take majority stake in Asianet. As part of this deal, Vijay TV will come under Star Jupiter, the JV company which will hold stake in Asianet.
Star India has got the permission to to undertake uplinking and downlinking of channels and transfer of shares to non resident shareholders. There is no fresh inflow of cash.
However, proposals of Lokmat Newspapers, Mumbai and Dow Jones & Company, USA have been deferred. Lokmat had proposed to induct FDI in a company engaged in print media.
Besides it had sought permission to convert operating company into an operating cum holding company to make further downstream investment and allotment of additional shares pursuant to the scheme of demerger of the publication business.
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.
