News Broadcasting
TV9 Digital wins a historic mandate on counting day
Mumbai: Maintaining its leadership streak, TV9 Telugu broke all records and retained the undisputed No. 1 position on YouTube with an unprecedented 570K concurrent viewership during the first few hours of 3 December election result coverage. All other channels of TV9 Network capitalised in a big way on the massive viewership on their respective LIVE feeds on digital platforms on the big news on Sunday.
TV9 Digital had advertisers lining up to capitalise on the attention of the massive viewership by buying on-screen branding options like L-bands, logos, etc.
Speaking of the spectacular performance, TV9 Network chief growth officer Raktim Das said, “Viewers have again given a decisive mandate to TV9 Digital this counting day on December 3. Our YouTube channels, especially TV9 Telugu, saw record numbers in concurrent viewership as votes were counted for the southern state. In the Hindi heartland, viewers took a ‘pole position’ with the TV9 Bharatvarsh YouTube Channel. We have been topping the charts concerning YouTube concurrent viewership every counting day like we did earlier during the Karnataka and Gujarat elections.”
TV9 Digital cornered a sizable chunk of premium brands across sectors and categories. Some of the names include MDH, V-Guard, Tata AIG, Goldiee Group, Vimal, Sensodyne, Motul, R.Pure Masala, Chambal Fresh, Honda, Nuvoco Cement, Hindware, and Catch Foods.
The TV9 Digital team also onboarded brands from the Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, which included NSL Infratech, Elite Spine & Pain Management Centre, Bharathi Cements, Speed Infra, Pancha Tulasi, Indo British Advance Pain Clinic, Techno Paints, and Maangalya, among others. This time around, marketers tapped into the huge traction by advertising on TV9 Digital channels.
The proactive response from advertisers is being seen as a robust endorsement of the digital landscape when it comes to big-ticket news events. Over the recent years, there has been significant interest in digital channels, marked by substantial concurrent viewership reaching lakhs during breaking news events.
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.
