News Broadcasting
TV9 Network launches News9 Mediaverse
Mumbai: TV9 Network, India’s largest news network has always transformed and disrupted the industry, leaving legacy players far behind.
Building on its reputation of disrupting the television space, TV9 Network, the largest news network in the country, has announced the launch of News9 Mediaverse, India’s first fully integrated digital-first English news brand.
In a move that is set to revolutionise the future of news, News9 Mediaverse brings together News9 Plus, the world’s first news OTT; along with News9 Live, India’s first and only 24/7 digital exclusive news stream and News9Live.com, the website is the fastest growing English text platform.
The integrated service, with all three streams feeding one another, is set to define India’s first ever ‘Mediaverse’, a proposition that is billed to become a global benchmark.
“The world has undergone a complete metamorphosis. With the advent of the internet, digitization, mobile penetration, and now AI, it is a completely different world compared to the one we were born in. The world of entertainment media has changed. How could news remain the same? Which is where News9 Mediaverse comes in,” said TV9 Network MD and CEO Barun Das.
“When you talk about any transition, the discerning English audience are always the early adopters. For this upwardly mobile segment, time is in really short supply. Naturally, they want content on their terms -whatever and whenever. This app is for ‘Genflix’ – a term we proudly coined to define the audience. We’ve finally converted news into content and advertisement into brand stories,” added Das.
Here comes a new-age proposition for the new-age news consumer: News9 Mediaverse, India’s first fully integrated digital English news brand, adeptly amalgamating three entities, as follows – News9 Plus, the world’s first news OTT, creates unrivalled world-class content, delivering an unmatched experience with journalism that reimagines storytelling, complemented by a Netflix-like look and feel.
News9 Live, going live from a state-of-the-art studio, is India’s first and only 24/7 digital exclusive news stream. Tailored for the discerning English audience, it offers English news presented in a revolutionary format. With their robust Flexible Point Chart (FPC), news is delivered dynamically based on its merit, without the confines of bulletins or programs, only news shows with a conversational delivery of news – skipping the old age news reading in an elegant informal setup conducive for free-flowing discussion. News9 Live is present across the connected TV ecosystem, which includes live streaming platforms such as Fire TV, Patchwall, Cloud TV, and TCL etc. along with aggregator platforms such as Distro TV and Yupp TV.
News9Live.com is India’s fastest growing English news website, racing to become the number one standalone English digital website.
The synergy between News9 Plus and News9 Live is set to redefine how the audience engages with news content. News9 Plus seamlessly feeds into News9 Live, curating a captivating and immersive content bouquet that caters to viewers seeking in-depth perspectives and real-time updates on current news developments. This bridges the gap between comprehensive news coverage and instant updates, providing a holistic understanding of current affairs.
Bringing back storytelling to the news, News9 Mediaverse remains dedicated to offering top-notch content to the discerning English news audience.a
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.
