News Broadcasting
TV18 standalone Q3 net profit at Rs 120 mn
MUMBAI: Television18, the company that houses business news channels CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, has posted a better third-quarter result due to an upswing in revenues.
For the three months ended December, TV18 has posted a standalone net profit (after tax and minority interest, before ESOP charge out) of Rs 120 million compared to a net loss of Rs 150 million in the previous year quarter. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 90 million in the trailing quarter.
Revenue from news operations at Rs 790 million stands 17.91 per cent higher than the year-ago period. For the trailing quarter, TV18‘s standalone revenue was at Rs 680 million.
Operating expenses for the quarter stood at Rs 560 million (from Rs 510 million a year ago). However, it is much higher than the trailing quarter, which was at Rs 470 million.
Meanwhile, TV18 improved its operating margins to 29 per cent from prior year’s 25 per cent.
On a consolidated basis, TV18, which also includes financials of Web18,
Infomedia18 and Newswire18, has posted a net profit (after tax and minority interest, before ESOP charge out) of Rs 80 million. For the same quarter of the previous year, the net loss stood at Rs 400 million.
Revenue from consolidated operations went up to Rs 1.47 billion as compared to Rs 1.29 billion a year ago. Expenses stood at Rs 1.27 billion, from Rs 1.20 billion in the earlier year.
Meanwhile, Web18, the subsidiary that houses all the websites of the group, has seen operational breakeven in the quarter under review. The revenue from operations grew to Rs 220 million, while expenses also remained at 220 million.
In Infomedia18, the net loss for the quarter stood at Rs 70 million, down from Rs 90 million in the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal.
Revenue jumped to Rs 360 million (from Rs 330 million), while expenses stood at Rs 410 million, from Rs 380 million a year ago.
In Newswire18, revenue rose to Rs 100 million, from Rs 80 million a year ago. The company did not disclose net profit (or loss) of the segment. The expenses were at Rs 90 million while operating profit was at Rs 20 million.
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.
