News Broadcasting
TV18, NDTV sweep largest tally of Ramnath Goenka Awards
NEW DELHI: The exposure of the 2G Spectrum scam, which has rocked the nation for the past two years, is largely due to the efforts of some journalists who refused to bow before authority and persistently continued their investigations.
J Gopikrishnan, Special Correspondent of ‘The Pioneer’ has received the Ramnath Goenka Journalist of the Year award for his investigative series on the scam that brought the irregularities to light, and his meticulous follow-ups that ensured the story stayed on the front burner.
CNBC-TV18 managing editor Udayan Mukherjee won this award in the broadcast sector for his insightful interpretation of the market and its movements as lead anchor, and his coverage of the 2008 financial crisis in India.
The awards were given away by Vice President M Hamid Ansari at a function in the capital.
The TV18 group – CNN-IBN, CNBC-TV18, and IBN Lokmat – and NDTV won as many as five awards each. In the print media, the Indian Express won four awards while the Mint and Business Today won two each
About 30 other journalists in print and the electronic media from all over the country received the RNG Excellence in Journalism Awards.
Arijit Sen, CNN-IBN, received it for reporting from Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast for reports on fake encounters in Manipur and the plight of a people caught between militants and the state. Hridayesh Joshi, NDTV India, was awarded for series tracing influence of India on Chinese culture and profiling successful Indians in China.
The award to Prakash Noolvi of TV9 was given for an investigative story on the continuing Devdasi tradition in a region in Karnataka.
For Environmental Reporting, Arti Kulkarni of IBN Lokmat was awarded for a report on illegal mining in a tiger reserve in Maharashtra.
The award for Uncovering India Invisible went to Shikha Trivedy of NDTV 24×7 for a story on women who joined the Naxal movement.
Shaili Chopra of ET NOW received the award for Business and Economic Journalism for reports on the economic crisis and candid interviews with key players.
Anubha Bhonsle of CNN-IBN with the show ‘Paisa Power Politics’ exposing the relationship between those who fight elections and those who fund it received the award for reporting on Politics and Government.
Maya Mirchandani of NDTV 24×7 got the award for her interview with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his constituency and for her report on the PM’s meeting with Pakistani President Asif Zardari in Russia.
In Sports Journalism, the award went to Anjali Doshi of NDTV 24×7 for giving a peep into what cricketers do on tours when they are not playing.
Archana Sharma of Lok Sabha TV won the award for her programme ‘Honslon ki Udaan’ for her story on visual effects in Bollywood and how the industry is growing.
Preeti Singh of CNN-IBN got the On-the-Spot Reporting award for her coverage of the floods in Andhra Pradesh, while the Investigative Reporting award went to Rajat Kain of NDTV India for exposing a flourishing gun culture in the heart of Delhi.
In the print medium awards, the award for Reporting from J&K and the Northeast went to Teresa Rehman of Tehelka for her story on a chilling shootout in Imphal.
Anshuman Tiwari of Dainik Jagran won the award for highlighting how Delhi was not ready for the Commonwealth Games.
V P Rejeena of Madhyamam Daily received the award for showing how a village in Kerala has become a city’s dumping ground, while the award for Environmental Reporting went to
Rahul Chandawarkar of DNA for reporting the environmental degradation in hill stations of Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani.
Samanth Subramanian of Mint was awarded for the series ‘Unholy Waters’, chronicling the decline of Ganga as it flows through Varanasi, while the award for Uncovering India Invisible went to Maitreyee Handique of the same newspaper for exposing how industries continue to flout safety regulations.
Puja Mehra of Business Today got the Business and Economic Journalism award for her story on how a dip in confidence was causing Indian consumers to spend less, while Saumya Bhattacharya of the same publication got it for her story on how employees and employers were coping with layoffs.
For Reporting on Politics and Government, the award went to Maneesh Chhibber of The Indian Express for breaking the Liberhan Commission report on the demolition of the Babri Masjid and his coverage of the Law Ministry.
Sujith Nair of Malayala Manorama got the award for his story on an official gag order on the media that forced the V S Achuthanandan government to backtrack.
In Sports Journalism, the award went to G S Vivek of The Indian Express for his coverage of the second edition of the Indian Premier League in South Africa.
In film and television Journalism, senior critic Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express was awarded for her incisive reports on the world of films and for her comprehensive and witty film reviews.
Sonal Kalra of HT City received the honour for a series featuring the five most powerful Bollywood couples in their homes.
Muzamil Jaleel of The Indian Express got the On-the-Spot Reporting award for his coverage of the last days of the Lankan government’s war against the LTTE; while The Indian Express Team won the Investigative Reporting award for a 12-part series that investigated the glaring gaps in the response to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
James Astill of The Economist won the Foreign Correspondent Covering India award for his perceptive and prescient reporting and commentary on India: from its water politics to the Maoist insurgency.
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.
